Jennifer Craw and the Forbidden Tomb 3
by jcwriter
Summary: Bk 3 Harry Yr 7 Voldemort is searching for Salazar's Tomb to find the lost magics, and Jennifer and Harry need to stop him before it's too late! Wedding bells for Jen and Sev at last? Could be! And who is Anna? PG for violence, mild language.
1. The Broom Closet

_A/N Greetings all! In this book, I'm happy to introduce another star pupil (yeah right) to Hogwarts, Corey Willowby, (who will be our child point of view for the next four) and a Anna...someone inflicted with a slightly different type of magic...I got the idea from House Elves, actually, and how they can get in and out of places regardless of any Apparation constraints. However, before I was done developing it, it turned into a research project of old faerie myths... eh, you'll see. _

_ This is the third and last book in the first series, which begins with Jennifer Craw and the Phoenix Wand, which is basically a short semi-dark intro of the main character. The second, Ivory Skull, introduces a couple of new characters as well as gets in depth about Truth Seeking; which is basically something I took from Rowling's hints that Voldemort and Dumbledore both had ways of discerning the truth from people...I merely named it and gave it some rules so it wouldn't cause too much trouble (except apparently, for me, because I've gotten a lot of flames about it LOL) but that's okay, all in good fun._

_This first series (and the second following it) was written in 2002 (after Goblet of Fire.) Last edit: October 2011... mainly working on grammar and cleaning up some action scenes. Enjoy!_

* * *

Jennifer Craw and the Forbidden Tomb

Chapter I

The Witch's Broom Closet

Nestled between a rocky coastline and green rolling knolls, it was perhaps little wonder that no one gave a second thought to the sea stone cottage. There was really no reason for any of Jennifer's Muggle neighbors to come up the narrow pebbled road that wound around the bluff to her house. Even if they had, the cottage would have appeared abandoned to anyone not predisposed towards magic.

But to Jennifer Craw, the cottage had come a long way from when she first rented it. The old shingles were mended or replaced, the shutters painted, and the tall stone wall around the side yard was replanted with Lynxclaw vines and Muffleleaf Pomona, trailing into the wildly growing herb garden that tangled its way across the ground. It was, in Jennifer's opinion, the next best thing to Hogwarts… a cozy, quiet place for a witch to spend her summer holiday.

She had already spent the better part of a month fixing it up; the woman who had rented it to her, Terra Pince, the sister of her school's librarian, was not as spry as she used to be. She often reminded Jennifer of that, and often said she had little time to spend on her country cottage. Instead, she spent what little magic she could muster to keep up her London townhouse. But despite its condition, Jennifer was grateful for the reduced rent so had no qualms about fixing the place up.

She had every intention of keeping things in budget this summer and so far had succeeded wonderfully, putting knowledge she learned from her mother while growing up to good use. Not that Jennifer was by any means destitute; her job paid well, and she hadn't even been tempted to open the vault her parents had set aside for her as a trust for when she was married. Her father had already given her permission to open it if she needed, but so far she'd been able to resist, hoping to stay out of it until her wedding day, whenever that ended up being.

Jennifer sighed softly to herself as she straightened the tiny corner she had dubbed, 'the library,' categorizing the books carefully. For the past two years, Jennifer had been the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was quite an accomplishment for her to be teaching at indisputably the best magic school in the world, especially so young in her career… not that her age seemed to matter to Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of the school. Dumbledore did seem to have a knack for collecting some of the most unlikely set of professors that anyone could ever imagine, and yet not one that he did not trust implicitly.

The students of the school had their own flare and appeal. She had become good friends with many of them, especially Harry Potter, whom she had fought beside on a couple of occasions against the dark forces of Voldemort. Ah, yes, things were far from perfect. For years now, the dark wizard had been terrorizing not only the magic world but also the non-magic… or Muggle… world, which Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, hated with a passion.

Her father had been a Death Eater before he fled with his family to escape. But her father, like her, had recently returned to Britain; only unlike her he had come with the sole intention of destroying all those he had allied with for murdering Jennifer's mother. Because of it he was now in prison for his crimes, while most of the Death Eaters still roamed free.

Jennifer heard a flutter at the kitchen window followed by a hoot, and she went over to greet a snowy white owl carrying a bundle of letters.

"Good morning, Hedwig! How are you doing? Is Harry well?" Harry's familiar hooted again in response, and Jennifer made her comfortable and gave her some water before turning to the post, sorting out the letter that went to Harry's friends from her own. She woke up her own familiar, Ratfly the fruit bat, to take those on to their destinations.

Perhaps the exchange seemed a little elaborate, but it was necessary; for both Harry and Jennifer had become two of Voldemort's worst enemies and he and his followers were looking for them. They had decided last year to try and confuse them by becoming each other's Secret Keeper, so that no one using magic could discern where they were. The keeper could tell someone where they were, and anyone trying to find it on their own would end up getting waylaid in some other location. Only Dumbledore had been told where both of them were, and Severus Snape, of course, knew where Jennifer was.

It was Severus Snape, Jennifer's fiancée, who had mockingly called the cottage Jennifer's Broom Closet because of its small size, although he did have to admit it had a nice large basement dug into the hard granite cliff. Trust the Potion Master to have an eye for a work area if they ever came back, Jennifer chuckled. Not that they were going to get married any time soon, for they'd decided that would not occur until Voldemort was dead. It was a strange pact, perhaps, to wait for such an event, but Jennifer had quickly agreed with Severus' wish to wait, preferring for nothing to taint that day.

As she was finishing tying up the return bundle for Hedwig, she couldn't help but glance out the window, her eyes drifting up to a maple tree where a young figure sat. Jennifer leaned on the window, propping her head in her hands.

It was the boy again.

He'd been watching the place since she moved in and at first she discounted it… it was fairly normal for ten or eleven-year-old boys to get interested in abandoned buildings. He was from one of the local Muggle farms nearby, which one she wasn't quite sure. But now he was coming by so often that even though the boy never seemed to get too close, Jennifer suspected that he saw much more than an abandoned building. One time he came down with two other kids, a boy and a girl, who had shrugged at him and told him to come away from there. As they left, he had stopped to stare long and hard at the cottage before finally leaving.

Well, there really was only one way to find out, she thought. But what if he wasn't magic? Could she act non-magic enough that he wouldn't notice? And what if he was? She really wasn't supposed to make first contact with a youth; that was handled by a letter and a large book of names and there was no guarantee the boy's name was in it. Sooner or later, if not chosen, he'd grow out of it… drilled by his parents that such things did not exist until he'd only remember he could once do things in his deepest dreams.

Still, what was she going to do, let him sit in a tree all summer? She could almost imagine what it must be like to see a house no one else could, and wondering why. He was probably even losing sleep over it. Making up her mind at last, she glanced in the mirror, hoping her appearance wasn't too over the top, and walked up the road to where it curled around the tree. She gazed at the boy who was clinging to a branch, his eyes wide with surprise, his face red from holding his breath.

"Good morning! Isn't that a bit uncomfortable?" Jennifer asked.

The boy stared at her. Jennifer, having inherited a talent of Truth Seeking, was able to easily read the truth in people's faces when she was looking at them. But she really didn't have to much of that talent to figure out that he was just as curious as he was frightened. She also now knew he did see the house for what it was, and she was just as certain he had watched her as she was making repairs and working on the garden. This put her in a very awkward position. She was sure she'd get in trouble for talking to him. And yet here he was in her backyard, probably with a family that was starting to think he was going a little crazy. Her sympathy once again won out over her reason, and she decided to be up front with him.

"Who are you?" he asked at last.

"I'm Miss Craw. What's your name?"

"Corey Willowby," he stammered.

"Your father owns the sheep farm up the hill, doesn't he?" Jennifer smiled warmly.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Would you care to come in for some tea?" she asked.

"I had better not. I'm not supposed to go in strange houses… er, I mean, in stranger's houses," he gulped.

"That's very good advice," Jennifer nodded. "It's also good advice not to spy on strange houses either."

"I wasn't spying exactly. I was just looking," Corey said defensively.

"And what exactly do you see when you look at it, Corey?" Jennifer asked.

"I see… uh… an abandoned old shack," he stammered.

"Oh, I see," Jennifer said, hiding a smile behind her serious expression. "I suppose there's not much to look at, then, is there?" He shook his head slowly. "In any case, if you change your mind, I'll be inside," she said, turning around.

"Oh, I would but… I might get in trouble," Corey said.

"You and me both," Jennifer chuckled, going back inside.

Hedwig hooted, wondering what was keeping her. Jennifer finished tying the package for Harry and handed it to the owl, petting her gently before she took back off into the wind. It wasn't a moment later that there was a knock at the door. She opened it to see the young boy standing there, gazing curiously inside.

His hair was a light ash brown in color, partially covering a pair of dark brown eyes that peered inquisitively around. He wasn't very tall but was wiry, and was tanned like someone who had spent every waking moment outside, probably at the expense of other things he should be doing.

"Come on in then. Welcome to my Broom Closet," Jennifer chuckled, letting him in and closing the door behind them._  
_


	2. Corey Willowby

Chapter Two

Corey Willowby

Jennifer quickly realized it would be impossible to cover up all the oddities about the small house… the fact that there wasn't one of those television things or light sockets probably stood out to Corey like a red flag. Corey thought it seemed very old fashioned, as if he were stepping into a different time. Still, the kitchen looked somewhat normal with a stove of some sort and an icebox, but it reminded him of one of his school field trips where they went on castle tours.

"Make yourself at home, Corey. I'll get us some iced tea and we can have ourselves a little chat. I don't suppose you see this as an abandoned house any more, eh?" Jennifer asked mischievously, putting some empty glasses on a tray.

"Actually, it wasn't really me who saw this as abandoned. To be honest, it was my brother. But, excuse me if I'm prying, how come he can't see it, but I can? And nobody believes me. They think I'm making things up or imagining it," he said. Jennifer could also tell that they'd been teasing him about it ever since.

"Perhaps they just weren't meant to see it," Jennifer suggested, setting the glasses and a bowl on the table. Corey was too busy gaping at something on her desk to notice the glasses and bowl filling by themselves. "What are you looking at, Corey?" He pointed at a small picture frame on the desk.

"That evil-looking man in the picture! He looked at me, scowled, and then, … he just walked out of the picture!" he exclaimed. Jennifer laughed.

"Actually, that's a collecting card of my fiancée. I just put it in a frame because it's a good picture of him. And I don't think he's all that evil-looking."

"Oh… uh… sorry," Corey said as Jennifer came over and picked up the picture. After a moment, the picture returned and she set it down.

"Quite all right. I think I have one of the few cards where he actually does show up in every once in awhile," Jennifer grinned. "Some of my students complain that the card's picture never shows up for them. Now come and sit down, I promise you it's not poisoned or anything. I'll even take the first drink if you like."

"Are you a fairy? You're something magic, aren't you?" Corey asked.

"No, I'm not a fairy! I'm human just like you are," she assured him.

"But your books are all titled things like 'How to Banish Evil Spirits' and such."

"Well, that's because I'm a witch," Jennifer said matter-of-factly, offering him a sandwich.

"Oh, no, you're much too beautiful to be a witch," Corey said, then blushed. Jennifer laughed.

"Thank you," Jennifer said cheerfully, taking a sip of the tea. "I assure you that I am one just the same, but I wouldn't be telling anyone if I were you. They might try to have you committed or something, and I wouldn't want that to happen. I had to come out and try to explain this to you before you got into any more trouble."

"Why is it that I can see your house and no one else can?" Corey asked. Jennifer sighed, gazing at him.

"I don't think I can tell you that," Jennifer said, troubled. What if he wasn't in the book? The last thing she wanted to do was tell him that he might be a wizard only to have his dreams come crashing down if it came out that he wasn't, and no matter how much she believed it, she hadn't the authority to tell him in any case. "Perhaps it's just one of those things," she said with a weak smile.

Jennifer than asked Corey about his home and family, and found out from him that he had an older brother and younger sister, all of them going to nearby schools and helping on the farm over the summer and on weekends. She also knew, although he never said, that Corey had a habit of wandering off to get out of doing extra chores, spending most his time on the edges of the cliffs, sitting and dreaming.

"I found this house while I was exploring, trying to look for a new place to sit without my brother and sister bugging me. I like to be alone sometimes," he explained quickly, and Jennifer nodded, letting him know she did too. "They did end up finding me a few days ago, but they didn't see the house… not the way I did. Well, Essie said she did, but I think she was just humoring me."

"Yes, I can see how that might have confused you," Jennifer said with a nod. "Although I'm not sure I approve of you sneaking off to get out of your chores." Corey blinked, and then looked defensive.

"But, Miss Craw, it's summer! I can't spend it all tagging and shearing sheep and feeding them and cleaning barns. A kid has to have some fun too, you know," he complained.

"Well, I'll tell you what," Jennifer said, still looking at him sternly. "If you do your chores at home smartly enough and can keep quiet that there's a witch living next door, perhaps I'll let you come visit me from time to time. And don't think I won't know when your chores aren't done either. I have ways of knowing," she warned him.

"That's a deal, Miss Craw. I'd like to come and visit," Corey said brightly.

Over the next few weeks, Corey came over quite a deal. In fact, he would have come over every day if he had been able to, only staying away on the few days she wasn't home or a couple of occasions he had cut corners to get done with his chores early and she had sent him to try again. His parents were too amazed to question the turn around in the boy, but so long as he got his chores done, they had no trouble with him wandering off in the afternoons; he was the sort that was never late for supper.

On the days Jennifer was gone, he learned some of her time was spent in London doing something for the government, and the rest of the time visiting her fiancée. She never really talked about it much, but spoke freely about anything Corey asked about that was in the house. It was as they were cataloging the books one day that she admitted to being a professor at a magic arts school, and Corey ended up spending most of his time dreaming about what it would be like to go there. Jennifer, however, was more interested in keeping Corey's feet on the ground despite all the things he had seen. She put him to work helping her around the house, fixing things that a Muggle could fix. Corey didn't mind these chores so much. They were a great deal more fun than sheep, and he was too busy trying to impress Jennifer to realize just how much work he was doing.

One afternoon as they were getting ready to weed the Wartroot in the garden, Jennifer heard a soft knock at the door. She sprang up from where she was kneeling, asking him to stay put and keep quiet and hurried to answer the door. In walked Severus Snape, just as evil-looking as Corey thought he would be, dressed all in black with black hair and eyes to match, sallow skin and a hawk-like nose. He immediately went to Jennifer and kissed her, and somehow in doing so lost that sinister look to him. Corey, suddenly aware that he should probably not be staring, made himself interested in the weeds he had been trying to pull. The weeds were pulling back, however, lashing at him in annoyance. He'd never seen weeds do that before.

"Is there something going on you're not telling me about?" Corey heard a low deep voice say from inside the open kitchen door. "My chain was ice cold, and now it's blazing hot."

"Er…" Jennifer glanced at the open garden door. "Yes, I have a guest. He's helping me weed the garden today," she admitted. "Corey, could you come in for a moment?" As Corey got up and came in, he noticed the dark man's eyes go wide with surprise before shooting Jennifer a disapproving look.

"Severus, this is my neighbor, Corey Willowby. He discovered my house several weeks ago and has been a good companion of mine. Corey, this is Professor Snape, my fiancée."

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Corey said, and instantly received a sharp, cold nod from Severus, who then turned his attention right back to Jennifer.

"Did you say several weeks? I thought the Willowbys were Muggles," Severus snapped.

"They are," Jennifer said calmly. "All right, Corey, I'll be out to help you with those weeds in just a moment," she assured the boy with a smile.

Corey nodded and helped himself to one of the glasses on the table, walking out unsurprised as the glass filled itself. He sat it down thoughtfully, thinking back to how Miss Craw had said that she might get in trouble for talking to him. If he could see everything and nobody else could, what could be the harm in it, he wondered.

As he was working to combat the Feistyweed in the garden, pulling with all his strength, he found himself edging closer to the part of the garden that Miss Craw had warned him to stay away from. Rather than find out why the hard way why, he scooted back over, getting a better grip. The Feistyweed smacked his hand and he glared angrily at it. Suddenly it stiffened, looking for a moment like a normal weed. Thinking perhaps it might be resting, he tugged on it with two hands and suddenly pulled it out, knocking himself back into the other flowerbed. As he looked up, he suddenly saw a half-bloomed Griffonlily, glaring at him menacingly and growling at him. Irritated at being woken up it bit his finger, causing it to bleed at a very alarming rate.

"S_anguis cereus,_" Corey muttered, spreading out his other hand as he said the spell. He scrambled to his feet as the bleeding slowly stopped, but he was not sure how long it would last. He felt rather dizzy, so reluctantly slid the kitchen door back open.

"Oh, I'm not worried about him. It's the board you'll have to contend with," Severus was saying. "You don't even know if he's on the acceptance list. If he isn't, we're going to have an even -" suddenly he paused, noticing Corey and his pallid face. Jennifer looked over as well, crying out in dismay seeing his finger and his hand covered in blood.

"It's all right, I stopped the bleeding for a moment," Corey said shakily. "The Griffonlily bit it." Jennifer paled, quickly making him sit down and getting some water and a small kit as Severus threw open the basement door and thundered down the stairs. Jennifer quickly washed off his hand, the ice water numbing the pain. Taking out a bandage covered with nasty salve from the kit, she touched it to Corey's finger and it quickly wrapped around the wound, causing him to wince from the sting. A moment later, Severus appeared carrying a small phial filled with a dark liquid that smelled utterly ghastly.

"Drink this, it's an antitoxin for the blood poisoning," Severus said, glaring at the boy until he drank it down. Smell or no smell, taste or no taste, Corey had a feeling he didn't want to make Severus angry. "Jennifer, this is precisely the sort of thing I was talking about. He has no business being in that garden let alone in this house. For all intents and purposes, that boy is still a Muggle until and if he's accepted."

"Corey, how were you able to stop the bleeding? That must have been an awful powerful wish. Griffonlily bites normally keep the blood from clotting," Jennifer asked.

"Oh. I used that tapering blood spell I remembered reading from the Magical Emergency Spellbook over there," Corey admitted. "I have a good memory for written material."

"That's a second year spell," Severus heard himself saying.

"You cast that spell without a wand?" Jennifer blinked at Corey.

"You let him read your spell books?" Severus demanded loudly, glaring at Jennifer. "That's it, Jennifer, I'm erasing his memory at once."

"You'll do no such thing! It's true that Corey has spent lots of time here, perhaps too much…"

"Perhaps?"

"But he's also managed to keep things quiet and I trust it'll stay that way," Jennifer said firmly.

"This has nothing to do about how much he can tell, it has to do with how much he knows. Jennifer, you know better than this," he sighed, shaking his head at her.

"I haven't been teaching him actively if that's what you're implying, but I'm not going to keep him from reading if he wants to. Besides, you saw him… he's a natural. He'll get accepted." Jennifer said, putting her hands protectively on Corey's shoulders.

"Accepted for what?" Corey asked in frustration.

"Don't tell him, Jennifer, you're way over your head already," Severus warned.

"Corey, the problem is that children, especially Muggle children born in non-magic families, aren't allowed to learn magic until secondary school."

"That's no problem then, I start secondary school in the fall," Corey said.

"She means you have to qualify for a Wizardry School, dull-wit. And unless you've gotten a letter recently, chances are you're not getting accepted."

"Don't listen to him, Corey. I'm sure it'll be all right. You're too talented not to get in somewhere," Jennifer insisted, glaring defiantly at Severus.

"Half a moment," Corey said, suddenly getting excited, "You mean I might get to go to that school that you teach at? Hogwarts?"

"It's not up to us," Severus snapped at him, getting in his face. "That's only if you were accepted, if your parents even let you, if you don't get thrown out for using magic before you were of age…"

"I can get thrown out for that?" Corey started to fret.

"That's enough Severus! Stop being so hard on him! Besides, if anyone's to blame it's me, not Corey. Don't you like kids at all?" Severus had been about ready to say something but suddenly stopped short, not liking the tone in her voice.

"What has that got to do with anything?" he asked warily.

"You can snap and snarl all you like in your own classroom, but Corey is a guest in this house and won't be a victim of your teaching style. Are you going to act like this towards our own children some day? Or do you even want children?" Jennifer asked angrily, making him take a step back. Severus did not like where this was going at all.

"Jennifer, I'm not quite sure how you managed to get us on this subject but… can we talk about this some other time?" he asked, gritting his teeth and giving her a hard, insistent stare.

"Fine, then we drop the whole thing," Jennifer said, turning back to Corey. "I'm sorry about that, Corey, Severus has a lot to learn about children. Like not fighting in front of them," she said firmly. "But if you're feeling up to it, I can still show you how to take on those weeds without too much trouble. We still have some time before you have to go back."

Severus began to say something else but stopped himself at the last minute. Instead, he scowled at both of them and then stormed into the basement, slamming the door behind him. Jennifer pretended that nothing had happened, pausing in the kitchen long enough to get some fresh drinks before stepping back out into the garden.

"Wow, Miss Craw, you sure know how to handle him," Corey grinned. Jennifer, who had stopped to take a drink of her tea nearly choked. She set it down with a cough before sitting next to him, recovering her composure.

"Well, in a way he is right," Jennifer said, trying to stay serious. "There is no guarantee you're on any magic school's list, let alone Hogwarts. I'm afraid your chances may not be that good. We'll know soon enough, though. Professor McGonagall, that's the Deputy Headmistress, Corey, sends the majority of the letters out the second week in July, which was last week. If you're getting one, it'll be any day now."

"What will happen if I don't get one?" Corey asked slowly. Jennifer hesitated, looking at his face. He already guessed the answer to that.

"Here, let me show you how to tame Feistyweed," she said, quickly changing the subject.

* * *

Days drifted quickly by without a sign of Corey's letter. He had even come home one night to yell at the owl that inhabited their barn, demanding the creature to come down and give him a letter. His father wasn't quite sure what to make of his son's sudden anxiety, and his mother squinted suspiciously at him every time she'd tried to take him shopping for supplies. It was then he always found a chore he'd forgotten, insisting then and there to take care of it. August was rolling around, and his mother was starting to get quick-tempered; he wasn't going to be able to stall much longer. He was, in fact, getting irritable himself, miserably aware that he would soon be condemned to life as a Muggle and his splendid summer of magic was coming to an end.

At the cottage, Jennifer was hardly any more cheerful. Usually she couldn't wait to get back to school, but as her birthday approached and the time for heading back was at hand, Jennifer couldn't help but feel guilty about the one she was leaving behind. She packed her trunks, looking thoughtfully around realizing she was going to miss the small cottage she'd worked so hard to restore, making up her mind to ask to rent it again next year. At least then she could still see Corey.

Severus walked up from the basement carrying her lab equipment, glancing at the forlorn look on her face.

"Yes, well, you can't say I didn't warn you," he said quietly. He had never really admitted that he liked the boy as he had gotten to know him over the past few weeks, but Jennifer knew Severus better than to think he disliked him. He didn't want to see the boy passed over either. "I'm going to stop over there and erase his memories before we go."

"Must you?" Jennifer asked, already knowing the answer.

"You know I must. I hope the disagreeable outcome of this keeps you from doing this sort of thing again. I've heard of professors losing their licenses for teaching Muggle children without permission," he added with a frown.

"Oh, come on, Severus, admit it, you know Corey was more than up to Hogwarts' standards. Not only has he perfect memory, he's a Focus Caster."

"Yes, I know," Severus frowned. "To be perfectly honest, I don't understand it either. Perhaps we should send a letter to Dumbledore asking for special circumstances."

"Well, why didn't you suggest that sooner?" Jennifer said kissing him briefly and moving to grab a piece of paper. But Severus stopped her, demanding a more lingering kiss, taking her hand and placing something within it. Jennifer paused and looked at the box thoughtfully.

"Don't just stand there. Open it, or are birthday presents not allowed?" he asked, a nearly imperceptible smile starting to play on his face.

"How did you find out when my birthday was? I don't tell anyone that." Jennifer asked.

"Your father knows," Severus smirked. She should have guessed. Severus went to visit her father at prison quite often. In fact, Jennifer often found it scary to think of how well they got along. "I would have gotten you something last year if I had known, but I'm certain that this will more and make up for it."

"I had my Truth Seeker exam that day," Jennifer sighed. "And you did give me a present. I got to see you, and you cheered me up when I was feeling miserable and gave me one of your customized Subtle Slumber potions. That was more than enough."

"Quit stalling and open the box," Severus grumbled impatiently. "I am more interested in seeing what you think of this present at the moment."

Jennifer quickly opened the box, and smiled at once, knowing exactly what to expect of the gold pocket watch that lay inside, attached to a long golden chain so it could be worn around her neck. The trim was polished black, holding the glass in place, made very similarly to the watch that she had given Severus last year only his was trimmed in gold with black casing. Inside was a small clock face, surrounded by another wheel with its own hand that listed many of the places Severus was often found, along with an "elsewhere" and "mortal peril" listing. Inside the case was inscribed the words; _When you find me, I find myself._

"Open sentiment? Is that allowed?" Jennifer asked with a mischievous smile, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Everyone will think you're softening up." He blinked at her.

"I hope you won't be going around showing everybody that watch," he said sternly.

"Of course not, Severus, I was just teasing. I won't have to try and guess where you are any more… thank you," Jennifer said, gazing into his eyes lovingly. "Now if only my other birthday wish would come true."

Just then there was a flutter at the kitchen window and a loud whooping * Hoooooot * as a giant horned owl landed, demanding complete and undivided attention. Jennifer turned around and cried out in alarm, a chill going down her back.

"It's Revere," Severus hissed.

The Postmaster's owl was feared by many for the letters it brought, letters that had to get through no matter what… the sort of letters that filled a house with dread and despair.

"Oh no, I wonder who died," Jennifer said, her face white as a sheet, her thoughts going to her father in prison. Trembling she took the letter as the sour owl eyed her expectantly, waiting for her to read it. A small note was attached to the letter, and as she noticed the handwriting on the letter and whom it was addressed to, she squealed in delight, hurriedly reading the small note.

"It's Corey's acceptance letter!" Jennifer explained to Severus, quickly scribbling out a note and handing it to the irate owl. "There you are, sir, please could you see that this gets to Hogwarts? Thank you." As the owl departed, she went to grab her cloak.

"Dumbledore says they had trouble delivering it and told the postmaster to send it to me!" she said excitedly.

"Wait, wait, you can't go out there looking like that," he snapped as she tried to run out the door in her Hogwart's robes. Aiming his wand at her, he cast a Muggle disguise spell, and Jennifer found herself wearing slacks and a business suit, her hair up in a bun. She glanced in the mirror.

"Maybe some glasses to make me look older, more like a Professor, yes?"

"No. Stop worrying about fixing something time cures all too quickly on its own. Besides, you're a whole year older today, now go and deliver that letter."

"Aren't you coming?"

"No, I look dreadful as a Muggle. Now go already! I'll get these trunks moved and meet you in the Alley in a little while," he said, pushing her out the door.

The farmhouse was set back from the road, and Jennifer walked up to it, hearing a strange snapping sound from the barn. She knocked but got no answer, so proceeded over to the barn where Corey, his brother, and his father were involved in tagging the last of the new lambs that were born that spring.

"Good afternoon," she said making them all look up in surprise. Corey blinked and then squinted at her, looking her up and down.

"Afternoon, ma'am, can I help you?" Corey's father asked, peering at her curiously.

"I have a letter I need to deliver to Corey Willowby," she grinned. Corey, who had been busy trying to hold a pair of lambs, whooped in sheer delight, the lambs leaping out of his reach trying to make a run for it.

"I thought I got passed over!" Corey said, excitedly reading the envelope that Jennifer had handed to him. "Oh, thank you, Miss Craw!"

"Here, now! How do you know this woman, Corey? And gather those lambs back in there!"

"Don't worry, sir, I'll get them," Jennifer said calmly. Taking out her wand, she pointed it at the two lambs, muttering the floating slumber spells. The two lambs suddenly curled up and drifted off to sleep, levitating up just above their heads. Mr. Willowby and his other son, Charles Jr., gazed up in amazement at the two lambs, but Jennifer pretended not to notice the looks.

"Magic can be so useful around a farm," Jennifer said, winking at Corey. "My name is Professor Jennifer Craw, and I had been staying at a cottage just down the road from you over the summer. Corey came over and did some extra chores for me, didn't you, Corey?"

"Yes Miss… Professor Craw," Corey grinned, liking the sound of that. "Here father, please read this, please say I can go!"

"School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Corey?" his father said thoughtfully. "Well, it's true he doesn't seem to be much of a farmer. He's too lazy for that." Jennifer couldn't see Corey being a farmer either, but was willing to use a bit of diplomacy to help out the decision a bit.

"There's really no reason he can't be both, Mr. Willowby," Jennifer said. "And while he's at school, he'll be out of the way during the winter, not to mention properly fed."

"Feeding him, that in itself is a chore. He'd come home for the holidays though, wouldn't he?" Charles Sr. asked, eyeing the sheep above his head.

"Of course," Jennifer said. "If you'd like, I can even take him to get his school supplies this year. I'm heading that way anyhow."

"Oh, well, I suppose that'd be all right, but if his mum could come along that'd be better. She's been after him to go see about uniforms for ages now. Just as well we held out 'til the last moment now, I see." As Jennifer was helping Mr. Willowby with the finer points of pound to galleon conversion, (Mr. Willowby ended up getting a calculator) a truck pulled up and Corey's mother and sister got out. Corey's sister screamed in surprise at the two lambs floating over their heads, but his mother didn't even blink.

"What is going on here?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Don't worry, Freda, Professor Craw here did it to them. I expect it don't hurt them none. She's a professor at the school Corey's been admitted to this year. We may need to sell a ram or two, but I expect it'll be worth it."

"I'm going to be a wizard, Mum!" Corey said.

"Nonsense, nobody's going to be an anything without consulting me first," Freda frowned at her husband.

"But look, Mum, I'm going to be able to magic like this, watch! _Windgardium leviosa_!" he said, raising his hands slightly. Up went the electric tag gun from where it sat beside his father, the cord dangling down like a vine.

"You should be proud of your son, not many wizards can do that at his age. He's a Focus Caster… he doesn't need a wand. It's a rare talent among our kind, let alone born a Muggle."

"That means non-magic folk," Corey said.

"I know what it means," Freda snapped. Startled, Jennifer looked over at his mother's face, her eyes growing wide.

"You're a Muggle, but you weren't Muggleborn, were you?" Jennifer said in realization. "Your mother was a witch."

"And they sent a Truth Seeker to boot, did they?" Freda sighed resignedly. "Very well, I suppose it was time enough that it was known. I can't bloody well deny it now, can I?"

"Freda? You mean you knew all about this wizard stuff?" her husband asked, and then suddenly chuckled. "Oho, so that's how your mum always managed to catch us when we snuck off as kids. It's all starting to make sense now."

"I tried not to think about it. I wanted rather to forget it," she said, looking apologetically at Corey. "You see, the Professor here can tell you that being non magic when you have a magic parent is no honor to say the least. I did have the benefit of having a Muggle father, however, so when I turned out to be like him, mother settled down into Muggle life so that I could have a normal childhood, blending into this little community of Haven's Bluff. I didn't really seriously think any of our children would end up this way, Charles. I didn't begin to wonder until Corey began to see houses his brother couldn't."

"Does this mean I get to go?" Corey asked, trying not to sound too persistent.

"Well, your father is convinced, who am I to argue? But let me get this one thing clear right here and now. Your brother has things he does better than you, and your sister definitely has things she does better than you, and just because you got magic doesn't mean you can get big headed about this…"

"No, Mum," Corey said, "I promise, I'll be good."

"We can take you out as sure as put you in, mind that now," Freda said firmly. "And I grant there will be little time for your dreamin' or slackin' off there and if your marks fall I'll have you pulled out as well. If you're going to do this, you're going to learn some responsibility." Corey didn't apparently like the sound of that word but nodded anyhow.

"Whatever you say, Mum, just let me go."

"Very well. I suppose we should get to Diagon Alley while we have a magic escort and get it all done with, that is, if the Professor would be so obliged?" Freda asked.

"Happy to," Jennifer said cheerfully, tapping her wand to her hand and changing back to her normal robes. "Whenever you both are ready, Mrs. Willowby," Jennifer grinned.


	3. Diagon, Dresses, and Dumbledore

Chapter Three

Diagon, Dresses, and Dumbledore

The Leaky Cauldron erupted in greetings as Jennifer stepped out of the fireplace, followed by Corey and Freda Willowby. Jennifer stopped to wave at Hagrid, who was sitting at a table nearby, and introduced the new student to him.

"Ya still heading back ta the school tonigh', Professor?" Hagrid asked.

"Oh, definitely, I'm already packed. Dumbledore just needed me to get in touch with this waylaid student, and I needed to do some shopping of my own."

"Where's Professor Snape?" Hagrid asked.

"He'll be along… in fact, if he comes through here, could you let him know we'll be hitting the bank and Ollivander's first?"

"Coun' on it," Hagrid nodded, and went back over to his drink, wishing them well.

At the bank, Jennifer took them over to the exchange clerk and took the opportunity to give Corey some money for working for her over the summer. She then went to visit her own vault, grimacing at the meager savings she had as she filled her bag. She had almost been tempted to peek at her other vault, but knew she couldn't even had she wanted to.

Severus still had the letter that released the vault to her… she hadn't asked for it, figuring she would be less tempted to get into it if he had it. Sighing softly at the goblin tapping his foot at her vault door, she hopped back in the carts to take them up to the entrance where she met up with Corey and Freda.

It was the first time that Jennifer had been into Ollivander's or any other wand shop, so stepped in with intense curiosity. Jennifer's first wand had been a family heirloom, and the one she now had was borrowed, so she'd never had her own wand before. But now perhaps it was high time she returned that wand to Dumbledore and buy herself her very own wand for a change.

"Ah, a new student!" Ollivander said, smiling broadly as they came in. "Shall we be fitting him for a wand today?"

"Do you have anything for a student Focus Caster?" Jennifer asked. "He's going to need to learn wand techniques, but…"  
"But not handicap his natural talent, eh? Yes, yes, let me see now. What is your name, sir?"

"Corey Willowby."

"Ah, new blood, then? Let's try something standard and go from there; thirteen and a half elm perhaps, and something subtle. Let's try this one."

Jennifer watched with fascination as Ollivander tried to narrow down the field, watching closely as Corey waved a series of wands, none of them seeming to please Ollivander, who narrowed the search down even further.

"It would have to be one of these three, I think. Nothing more subtle than toad wart, cat whisker or pixie wing in the shop." Corey picked over them thoughtfully, picking up the dark walnut wand with the toad wart in it, waving it experimentally as electricity sparkled in the air.

"There! There, yes I think that will do nicely. Excellent choice, Mr. Willowby, a thirteen and a half inch walnut toad wart. It should suit you well," he smiled. Corey paid him for the wand from his chore money, and Jennifer suggested they run across the street to Malkin's for uniforms while they were waiting for her.

"And how may I help you…?"

"Jennifer Craw," she smiled. His face lit up.

"I should have known! You have your mother's eyes, and your father's hair, I see. I remember them well. And I hear you have had the pleasure of using some very famous wands. Started with Mallus' ebony banshee hair, which he made with the help of a wandsmith by the name of Clemmons… not very respectable, they say, but in our circles a very talented artisan. And now, you're using a 13 1/3 birch Unicorn hair, is that not correct? May I see it?" Reluctantly Jennifer handed the wand over and Oliver took it with reverence, admiring the balance before gingerly placing it on the counter.

"It has definitely been very well cared for over the years. You must be very honored to use it," he said, admiring the polish on the grain.

"Oh, I am," she assured him, "but I'd really like to give it back to the school and get my own wand."

"Are you sure you're ready to part with it?" he asked, glancing up at the door as it opened. "Ah, Professor Snape, 12 ½ ebon wood serpent's tooth. I never forget a wand."

"Good Afternoon, Mr. Ollivander. Just checking up on Professor Craw."

"Tell me, Professor, have you had any trouble with the aim or the balance on the wand?"

"Oh, no, of course not," Jennifer said.

"Is the weight good for you? Any trouble with fizzling?"

"It's a tad longer than I like, but yes, weight is fine and it executes perfectly. It does seem to pack a bit of a punch, sometimes. I tend to get more out of it then I expect." Jennifer admitted.

"That sounds like lingering effects from using a cursed wand for so long," he said, looking at her thoughtfully. "This wand seems to respond to you perfectly, but if you are quite sure you are ready for your own…"

"Oh, I'm quite sure," Jennifer said.

"Then we should find out if the wand is ready to part with you," he finished.

"Pardon?"

"Let's see what happens if I try to pick it up without you handing it to me," he said, reaching for the wand. Suddenly the wand flew out of reach, forcing itself into Jennifer's hand. "Mm, as I suspected. Please would you put it down again, Professor? And Professor Snape, if you would be so good as to try?" Severus reached down for the wand cautiously, but again, the wand darted away, soaring into the air and back into Jennifer's hand.

"Well, I think that, as they say, is that. I'm sorry, Professor, it appears I cannot sell you a wand today. You're not ready yet."

"But…"

"I know better than to argue with a wand as old as this. Many hands have held and used it, and it knows better than you or I where it belongs. I suggest you hold onto it for now. Besides, as a Professor of Hogwarts, it isn't as if it has actually left the school, after all."

"But…"

"I should get back to my categorizing, so much to do you know, many wands sold this time of year. Good Afternoon, Professor. I'll be looking forward to seeing you again… when you're both ready," he said, nodding to her and then to Severus before heading to the back. Jennifer sighed, putting the wand back up her sleeve.

"Well, no one can say I didn't try," Jennifer said.

"You have been paranoid about that wand ever since you found out whose it was at the trial last year. It's no wonder Dumbledore didn't tell you when he gave it to you. Perhaps you'll stop worrying so much now that it is obvious that no one can take it from you," Severus said.

"But Severus, I don't deserve to wield this wand," she protested as he opened the door for her.

"The wand thinks differently, are you going to try and argue with an inanimate object? Let's go, I need to stop by the apothecary."

"All right, but let's check up on the Willowbys first," Jennifer said.

At Madame Malkin's, Corey was already being fussed over as they quickly worked to get him measured. He was beaming as if it were Christmas morning, watching everything and everyone entering the shop.

"I thought I'd never see the day this one would look glad about school uniforms of any sort," Freda was telling Malkin. "Now here he is, happy as a lark in spring."

"Just as well you waited to take me school shopping, isn't it Mum?" Corey said cheerfully. "And now I get to go to Hogwarts!"

"Mind what I told you about gloating about it. I'll not stand for big heads in this family," Freda said again.

"Yes, Mum. Hullo, Professor Snape! Hullo again, Professor Craw!"

"Stand still, Mr. Willowby! We can't be about this all day," Madame Malkin said. She finally was able to finish the measurements and Corey jumped, watching in amazement as they drew robes sweaters, hats and gloves off the shelf, transforming into the correct sizes and quickly packed into a manageable bundle. Freda paid them with a look of accomplishment on her face.

"There, now we're two things down at least! Where to next?" Freda asked.

"The Apothecary for a potion kit… it's not on the list but it probably should be… then cauldrons and phials, and then to Flourish and Blotts to get his books and then if you like to find him a familiar."

"Can I get a bat?" Corey asked.

"It says here cat or toad or owl," Freda pointed out to Corey. "I ask you, what good is a toad?"

"They're good to experiment on in Potions," Severus smirked.

"Neville uses his to help him remember things… they're good at sitting and listening and don't forget much. And also as an alarm clock, and a door guard." Jennifer said.

"Door guard, or door stop?" Snape inquired.

As they entered the busy apothecary, the head alchemist quickly dropped what he was doing, pointing at one of his assistants to take over the line so he could wait on Severus, who handed him a long list.

"Exeter, that last batch of centipede legs wasn't very potent. I'd like a fresher supply this time," Severus said critically.

"So sorry, sir, it was a bad year last year for those. I'm sure you'll find this shipment much more satisfactory. Oh, and that shipment of Egyptian Scarab carapaces you requested have finally come in as well," Jennifer had been craning her neck to get a peek at the list, then blinked at something.

"That's an awful lot of Shadowpetal. Is that what you've been adding to your sedative? Admit it, it's one of them isn't it?" she challenged Severus mischievously. Severus scowled at her.

"I've told you time and time again, I am not telling you that formula."

"Aha! That is one of them, I see it in your face," Jennifer taunted him with a gleeful chuckle.

"You won't get the measurements right even if you do figure out all the ingredient variations," Severus scowled at her, making a mental note not to bring her with him to the apothecary again. He felt eyes on him and noticed Corey watching them with interest. "What are you looking at?" Severus snapped.

"Er, uh, could you help me pick out my equipment for Potions class, Professor? I was wondering what sort of flaws I should be looking out for?"

Severus stared at him calculatingly, getting ready to say something. He then noticed Jennifer watching him with an amused grin.

"Hm. Well, it will take Exeter some time to fill that. Follow, I'll show you," he scowled, walking out towards the Cauldron Shop. Corey winked at Jennifer and hurriedly went over to follow Severus.

"Now there's talent," Jennifer chuckled, standing next to Freda who was saving her a place in line. "Your son is definitely a lil' charmer isn't he?"

"And he'll use it to try to get out of as much work as possible, he always has," Freda chuckled back. "Never was much at applying himself, that one. He's a dreamer. I hope he doesn't throw this talent of his away because of it. Wait until he realizes he's going to have to work for it."

"That'll come to him very soon, I think," Jennifer said with a grin.

* * *

As much as Jennifer loved the small cottage, nothing could compare to coming home to Hogwarts. Jennifer had her office unpacked in record time, everything in its pre-assigned place. She then decided to leave her suite for later, heading towards the staff room to see who was hanging around for dinner.

"Hello, Poppy! Hello, Filius!"

"Jennifer, welcome back!" Filius Flitwick said brightly. "So nice to see you've returned, did you have a good summer?"

"Fantastic but too quiet, even with the Ministry calling me to London every other week to interview people. I'll sure be glad when Audi gets back. How are you doing, Poppy? Enjoy your visit with your daughter?"

"Doing fairly well, and yes it was nice, Jennifer. We spent it on the Riviera, gentle Mediterranean breezes… sunburns… rather boring at times though, you know how I like to keep busy," Poppy Pomfrey winked. Jennifer chuckled and got ready to ask Filius something when she heard her name called. Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration Professor and her direct supervisor, was standing in the doorway.

"Jennifer, are you busy? I have something I've been waiting to show you for ages. Welcome back, by the way," she added with a thin smile. Jennifer quickly excused herself and joined Minerva, chatting about the summer and telling her about restoring the cottage.

"I suppose it was sort of a waste being a rental and all, but I did want it livable. I even went to see Pomona several times to ask her advice about the herb garden I had started.

"Well it definitely sounds like you've been keeping busy, and doing side work for the Ministry I hear as well."

"They've been driving me crazy ever since Audi went back to America. You'd almost think I was a licensed Truth Seeker the way Arthur goes on about it."

"They've been running Dumbledore ragged this summer as well," McGonagall sighed.

"Don't tell me you've been here all summer?" Jennifer frowned.

"Quite a bit of it, but it was just as well. It gave me time to work on a very important project," she smiled, opening the door into her rooms.

The sitting room was divided into two sections; the first half of it a sitting area with plush chairs and a sturdy stone table with an elaborate wizard chess set. Jennifer had never seen her or anyone sit down and actually play it, but the pieces looked as if it were half way through a game.

Jennifer suspected it was an ongoing game that Minerva was having with Dumbledore, because every so often while they were in the room Minerva would glance at it thoughtfully as if contemplating her next move.

The other half of the room was filled with bolts of white fabric, remnants, tables and notions used in transfiguration sewing, a hobby of Minerva's that Jennifer had come to appreciate often coming over on an afternoon off to help Minerva work on some of her more basic designs. The time together helped them bond a friendship beyond just professional, and gave Jennifer plenty of opportunities to open up. It had always been easy to talk to Minerva about Severus, for Minerva better than anyone seemed to understand Jennifer's view on things, but also had year of experience of dealing with Severus so often offered good advice on how to handle the disputes that came up from time to time.

Minerva strode into the sewing side of her room without a moment's pause at the chessboard as she walked back to a covered dressmaker's doll, glancing back to give Jennifer a mysterious smile. It was then that Jennifer knew what was coming, trying to hide her excitement.

"Now, if you don't like it, promise me you'll tell me truthfully," she insisted.

"All right, I promise," Jennifer said, getting impatient. Minerva then uncovered the gown with a flourish, and Jennifer found herself at a loss for words.

Glossy white satin formed the puffed sleeves and sleek bodice of the dress, silk ribbons laced down the front and creating small heart-shaped designs. The bottom half draped voluminously out from the gown's tiny waist, trimmed with draping ribbons and finely embroidered with white silk hearts and roses. Along the bottom were pairs of ravens and pure white turtledoves with onyx eyes, holding onto stems of intertwining roses. As she watched, Jennifer thought she noticed one of the birds flutter and stretch, then a moment later she noticed one of the turtledoves stop to scratch beneath a wing.

"Well? Say something! I'm not a Truth Seeker, you know," Minerva finally demanded.

"I don't know what to say," Jennifer stammered. "It's beautiful!"

"And you'll look beautiful in it, I imagine, when the time finally comes," Minerva said, proudly touching the fabric. Jennifer hugged her, thanking her warmly. "I had hoped you'd like it. I've always wanted to do a wedding gown."

"I love it! I can't wait to see Severus' face when I wear this."

"Well, now, I suppose you'll have to," Minerva shook her head with a smile. "Won't you both reconsider and name a date we can all look forward to?"

"No, Minerva, I'm not going to go against Severus on this one. You know how he feels about it," Jennifer said, shaking her head. "We'll wait. Oh, but I am glad this is here and waiting! It's fantastic!"

"Let's keep it a secret, then you can surprise him," Minerva said mischievously as they covered it up. "I have a few finishing touches left to do, then I'll put it away until you're ready for it."

"Thank you so much," said Jennifer, dreamily gazing off, imagining herself walking down the Great Hall in the dress. Minerva chuckled at the look in her face. Just then there was a knock at the door and Minerva rushed over to open it.

"Ah, good evening, Professor Dumbledore. You're back early," Minerva said, a question in her voice.

"Yes, I need to speak with Jennifer," Dumbledore said evenly. "In my study." The expression on his face keyed Jennifer into how much trouble she was in, and she didn't have to read too far to figure out why.

Quickly she walked out the door gnawing on her lip, while Dumbledore paused to speak to Minerva. The stairs were being annoyingly agreeable, allowing her to go straight up to his study. Finding the door open, she went in and smiled softly at Fawkes who eyed her in return from his perch. She owed one of her borrowed lives to that Phoenix because of her last encounter with Voldemort. It was just after she had been reunited with her father, whom she had thought was dead, and who was hell-bent to kill Voldemort that evening. But Jennifer had stopped him, for if she hadn't intervened, it would have both her father and Severus since they had been linked to Voldemort by a cursed placed on the Dark Mark.

She heard someone on the stairs and glanced up to see Dumbledore, the doors automatically closing as he walked over to his desk.

"Sit down, Jennifer," he said, picking up an envelope on the desk and handing it to her. It was from the Ministry. Jennifer opened it with dread, fairly sure what was coming.

* * *

Headmaster Dumbledore-

It has been brought to our attention that one of your professors, Jennifer Corsiva Craw, was observed to have been teaching a Muggle pre-acceptance into a magic school, who then used those skills in situations in front of Muggles that might have been construed as "alarming" to those present. Please feel free to deal with this matter as you see fit, but remind her that such occurrences can be grounds for having her license revoked.

- The Board of Governors, Department of Misuse of Magic, and Department of Muggle Affairs.

P.S. Enclosed is a second letter for Professor Craw including the lists of fines and violations.

* * *

Jennifer slowly took out the second note, unfolded it, glanced at the totals, winced, and then folded it back up again. She looked up at Dumbledore, handing him back the first letter. He took it but sat there quietly as if waiting for her to say something.

"He, uh. He kept watching the house… he knew it was there. He came back nearly every day, just watching. I thought leaving it would have been worse than settling it, so to speak, so I asked him in. But I didn't teach him, Professor. Well, not really." Jennifer said.

"Jennifer, passively teaching someone is just as valid a teaching method as any. Can you honestly say that you weren't allowing him to learn by observation of you and your environment?" Dumbledore asked. Jennifer shifted uncomfortably. "He must have been over there nearly every day since you met. I know this because Minerva was having a terrible time trying to get a letter to Corey Willowby and came to me about it. It didn't take long to figure out what was going on. Your secret ended up protecting the boy's location as well as yours… counterproductively, I might add. He may have not gotten his letter at all had Minerva not come to me. And then where would we be now, Jennifer? Indeed, where would we be if it was never intended that he develop his talent at all?"

"Oh, but Professor, he had to have been. He's a natural Focus Caster. Severus and I thought…" Dumbledore's frown deepened.

"Severus was in on this as well?" he asked. Whoops, Jennifer thought. She hadn't had any intention of getting him in trouble.

"He tried to talk me out of it. I'd already known Corey for a while at the point he found out about it," Jennifer explained.

"I see. He tried to talk you out of it but didn't succeed, it seems, nor did he mention it to anyone else."

"Sir, I really didn't have any intention to go that far, I was just…"

"Are you saying that you believe you had any right to approach the boy in the first place?" Dumbledore asked, gazing sternly at her.

"No sir. Sorry sir. But…"

"No, no buts, Jennifer. What kind of life would the boy have had to have tasted magic and then had it obliviated away? Do you think he would have forgotten forever? It's one thing to have watched someone else; after a time you can talk yourself into thinking you've imagined it. But it is quite another to have actually done it and then forced to forget. He would have spent his whole life pining over something and know not what, something he'd never be allowed to do again. A scar, a heavy scar that would haunt his dreams and never would have been able to heal completely.

"The board thinks you have crossed the line on this one, and I agree with them. You know better than this, Jennifer, and Severus… Severus most decidedly knows better."

"Yes, sir."

"It's also evident that you have developed quite a bond with this boy, for good or ill, I do not know. I trust, however, that favoritism will not taint your classes?" Jennifer blinked at that.

"I should think not," she said indignantly. "They haven't with Harry and the rest, they certainly won't now." Dumbledore smiled faintly, and Jennifer saw from his expression that such accusations had already come to Dumbledore about favoritism in the past. Before she could protest, Dumbledore held up a hand.

"It's all right, Jennifer. I know you've been undeniably fair to all of your students. However, do not be surprised if this issue comes up stronger than ever because of this," he said, leaning back in his chair. "I am going to go ahead and pay these fines. However, you are going to have some extra duties for the next few months, so I wouldn't make any plans, if I were you. You'll report to Minerva or I at the end of every day from now until I deem it fit to release you from them. I do not want you to lose your license or your job over this Jennifer, but I can not express the severity of this enough."

"Yes sir, I understand." Jennifer said, nodding slowly. She had known she was doing something she wasn't supposed to and still did it, regardless of the consequences. That was the bottom line, and she knew it. Watching her face a moment, Dumbledore nodded, then smiled gently.

"I must admit, however, I am very interested in meeting this new student who seems to have a way of sinking my best Professors. A Focus Caster, hmm? It seems to be a time for rare talents. Speaking of which, one of your first duties will be to escort the students from London to Hogwarts in a couple weeks; Remus is already assigned to do so, but I have some concern that there is something not quite right," he sighed. "I'd rather see the students protected. Some of the students that missed last year will be coming back… they'll be a year behind what they might have been, but we should welcome them back into the fold. In any case, I have a lot to do before I can head back to London, so you should probably head downstairs and get something to eat. Oh, and, please ask Severus to step up here as soon as he can as well," Dumbledore said. Jennifer cringed and nodded, wanting to kick herself for mentioning he was there. She went down the stairs, glancing at her watch.


	4. Express Flight

Chapter Four

Express Flight

It hadn't been easy to tell Severus that Dumbledore wanted to see him. He had scowled, asked how much trouble did she get in, and she indicated over her head. Sighing, he climbed the stairs.

That was the last time she had gotten to see him until the day before the students arrived. Dumbledore had assigned him to work with Sirius concerning evacuation strategies for the new families, so he was away from the school most of the time. Jennifer was asked to report to Minerva once her personal paperwork was done and supplies acquisitioned, and Jennifer found herself helping Minerva finish up the class schedules and file administrative paperwork. Jennifer found she didn't really mind the extra work… some of it was sort of fascinating… but she quickly discovered how much effort it took to organize classes, games, practices, staff shifts, security shifts, and file new student information. Minerva had done most of the hard-core work in July when the letters were sent out, so most of the scheduling work dealt with the students who hadn't attended the year before and had decided to return.

"I know we really weren't missing all that many students, but it felt empty to me. It'll be good to see some of those faces back," Minerva said, flipping through the pages. "That reminds me, did you find time to finish the aptitude tests for Defense for those wanting to try and test out last year?"

"Yes, Minerva. They're here and all filed, second through sixth."

"Good, all ready for tomorrow at last," she smiled, glancing over the tests. "Hm, but I still need the paperwork from Severus and Pomona."

"Oh, I can go down and check on that, Minerva," Jennifer offered, perhaps too quickly. Minerva eyed Jennifer thoughtfully, well aware that Jennifer hadn't seen Severus since he had gotten back that morning.

"Oh, very well, Jennifer, but try not to dally _too_ long. There are a couple of other things to finish up and I know that you have to meet the train early tomorrow. And please bring up copies of his lesson plans too; he hasn't turned those in yet, either."

Jennifer agreed readily, already backing out of the office. Minerva her head and smiled thinly as the girl swept out the door. After taking a quick glance at her watch, Jennifer hurried down to the first floor of the dungeons. The office door was open and she peered in to find Severus tiredly huddled over his paperwork.

"Still speaking to me?" Jennifer asked meekly. He gestured at the door and she closed it behind her, sitting on the corner of his desk. "Minerva sent me down for the tests and your syllabi… ouch, you're still working on those, aren't you? Can't just update last years?"

"We changed books," Severus muttered. "Once it gets a little later I'll take a dose, then I'll be able to get it done tonight."

"You're not supposed to take those if you're already tired, and I can see that you are," Jennifer chided him. "I'm going to go pick up Pomona's and I'll be right back to help you with the tests."

"What have they got you doing, anyhow?" he asked, looking up.

"Administrative paperwork," she said, making a face. He grimaced as well.

"I don't envy you. I take it you had time to get your own work done, however."

"Last week. Sometimes it pays not to go by the book," she grinned at him. He scowled at her in annoyance, but she could tell that he didn't really blame her for what happened. Even so, Jennifer felt extremely guilty about the entire thing.

Promising she'd be right back, she ran her errand and then reported to Minerva, explaining the situation. Minerva quickly let her go and asked her to remind him that they had to at least be in by noon. Jennifer went back his office, offering to set up the aptitude tests, which Severus hadn't even started on. As she began to sort through old finals, there was a knock on the door, and Minerva came in with a tray of coffee and sandwiches.

"Well, I see that you have your work cut out for you, Severus. Jennifer, don't forget you have to meet the train in London tomorrow. Don't stay up too late," Minerva advised on her way out, knowing perfectly well that Jennifer wasn't going to listen.

It was, in fact, nearly two in the morning before they began making copies, and Severus finally found the time to glance over Jennifer's work as she counted and stacked the tests into neat piles.

"Very thorough and well written, Jennifer, although I don't think anyone could ever mistake it for one of my tests," Severus commented.

"We could change the handwriting to yours if you like," Jennifer joked.

"No, we can spare them that. I mean that you seem to test more about properties and I about formulas," Severus said, stifling a yawn. "But they will do nicely for what they're intended for."

"Well, it's definitely much too late for us to delve into a discussion on potion teaching theories in any case. Come on, I'll walk you upstairs. You look exhausted."

"So how long are you on special tasks?" Severus asked as they left the office.

"Until Dumbledore says otherwise," Jennifer sighed. Severus winced.

"That usually means someone wanted you fired and he had to stick his neck out for you," he said.

"Is that the voice of experience talking?" Jennifer grinned at him. His lip twitched.

"We all make mistakes," he said as they started up the stairs.

"How much time do you have left for covering up for mine?" Jennifer asked.

"Two more weeks to go," Severus grumbled. "And I have a feeling I'll end up spending most of it with Sirius Black. I have the growing suspicion it's all an elaborate plot by Dumbledore to force us to make amends, but it's not working. I think I despise him more than ever."

Jennifer, who had a hard time believing that, chuckled to herself as she followed him up the stairs.

* * *

The first September morning was chilly and damp, a light fog hanging over the station. Jennifer yawned as she slipped onto the deserted platform. It was two hours before the train was scheduled to leave, and there was little movement. Leaning against a pillar half obscured in the fog, Jennifer noticed a man watching her carefully, and she wondered if that was the one she was supposed to meet. As she walked nearer, she missed a step when she realized what he was. It wasn't every day one met a werewolf, let alone on the platform to the Hogwarts' Express.

Remus Lupin was a fairly good-looking man, but his features had been sapped over time with his illness; a strange gray tone to his light brown hair and his hazy blue eyes. His robes were torn, but Jennifer had the feeling it was more out of resignation to his condition rather than being unconsciously aware of their tattered state. As she approached, a wan smile came across his face and he glanced at her hands.

"You must be Professor Craw," he said when she drew near, offering his hand. As she shook it, he stopped to admire her ring. "Yes, you definitely are. Dumbledore told me you'd be wearing a Dragonheart diamond. How unusual… and something that can't be duplicated either," he added. "I'm Remus Lupin. I believe you were expecting me."

"Yes, and call me Jennifer," she smiled. "I am pleased to meet you at last. Harry speaks of you often."

"Does he?" Remus said, amused.

"You were his favorite Defense teacher, you know," Jennifer nodded with a smile. "Not that he'd say that in front of me, of course."

"I hear that they have a splendid Defense teacher now, one that can calm the most savage of creatures," he said with a wickedly playful smile.

"Hey, that's not a nice way of talking about Severus," Jennifer scolded him with a grin.

"I did not say I was talking about Severus," he chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "Whatever gave you that idea? Come, let's get settled so we can talk," he said. He chose a compartment near the front, helping himself to some coffee from the engineer's car and bringing her one as well.

"I'm not quite sure why the Headmaster wanted extra security for the train this year, but I know better than to argue with Albus Dumbledore. Still, there is an unusual guest who will be coming on board that I should probably make you aware of: Dumbledore's goddaughter, Anna Hughes from America. She's actually been here before but Dumbledore has been keeping it quiet. Audi and I were two of the few who knew about her. You see, she's a squib, or at least, that's what everyone thought until a few years ago," he said looking thoughtful. "All of the sudden strange things began to happen to her, such as Apparating without meaning to and that sort of thing."

"How old is the girl?" Jennifer asked surprised.

"Older than you, I think, by a few years, so not so young as all that. But she hasn't had much exposure to our world except for stumbling into it, so Dumbledore asked that we treat her with kid gloves. He is bringing her here to protect her. I think he's worried about what she's capable of doing coming into magic ability so late."

"But I thought that was impossible. I mean, once you've reached a certain age…"

"Usually, yes," Remus nodded. "But there are exceptions to every rule, especially in our world."

"True enough," Jennifer nodded slowly. "In fact, it seems as if Dumbledore likes to surround himself with exceptions to rules," she said thoughtfully. He smiled at her broadly.

"Oh, you've noticed that too, have you? Well, from one exceptional person to another, it is nice working with you," he said, tipping his coffee cup towards her and taking a drink.

The students began to trickle in one at a time until it became a steady stream, and soon the station was filled with the sounds of students yelling, parents nagging, and squawking, hooting, squeaking, meowing, croaking familiars. Jennifer peered out of the train in time to see Corey and his mother appear and she hopped down to meet them, waving at other students as they greeted her on her way.

"Professor Craw! Look, Mum, it's the professor again!" Corey pointed her out as Jennifer swam through the crowd, giving them a warm smile.

"Good morning, Freda, Corey, oh, and you too, Cheshire," Jennifer said, rubbing the striped cat through his cage. "I see you found it all right."

"Not too hard if you know what to look for," Freda assured her as they walked towards the baggage car.

"Professor Craw! What are you doing here?" Hermione called out. Ron and Ginny waved, followed by Molly Weasley who was accompanying them.

"Oh, I just thought I'd come along for the ride," she told them with a laugh, helping Freda with Corey's bags.

"Now, you mind the professors, Corey, and mind what your father and I told you before we left. Professor Craw, let us know if you have any problems with him," Freda said with a stern smile.

"Don't worry, Freda. We'll take good care of him," Jennifer promised. As they were saying their goodbyes, Jennifer heard a strange roaring sound followed by a loud screech and turned to see a motorcycle sliding to a stop. Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she went over to Harry and Sirius.

"You didn't actually take that thing down the platform, did you?" Jennifer asked, hands on her hips as Sirius and Harry took off their helmets.

"Why not? It's a Muggle vehicle," Sirius grinned. "Don't worry Jennifer, I made sure no one noticed us. You know Muggles ignore the platform anyhow."

"Have you seen Ginny and Ron?" Harry asked Jennifer.

"They were at baggage, so probably on the train by now," Jennifer said. "Where's your stuff?"

"We dropped it off earlier," Sirius explained. "Go on Harry, I'll see you later this week. Jennifer, can I talk to you a moment? Where's Remus?"

"On board, why? Is something wrong?" Jennifer asked, seeing a flash in his eyes that always meant trouble for someone. Jennifer's face fell as she read that look.

"Oh, no, Pettigrew? But how? How could he have escaped?" Jennifer asked. Sirius nodded and they stepped on, slipping into the compartment with Remus and shutting the door. "So?"

"Several of the guards were tortured and then compelled to go in and bring him out… at least, that's what they think happened… the guards didn't survive long enough to confirm that," Sirius said grimly.

"Pettigrew?" Remus asked, sitting up suddenly. Sirius nodded to him.

"Now that Harry is safely here with you two, Severus and I are going to go after him," Sirius explained, getting up.

"Going after him?" Jennifer repeated worriedly. "He's probably back with Voldemort by now. You know what you might be walking into…"

"Jennifer, suffice it to say that right now we think he's more of a risk to the school than Voldemort," Sirius said in a low voice, turning towards the door. "And don't worry about Severus. I'll be with him," he said before he left.

"Oh. Gee. That makes me feel a lot better." Jennifer muttered with a scowl.

"The train should be leaving soon. Let's see if our special passenger has come on board," Remus suggested and they wandered out of the compartment. As they walked between cars, Jennifer noticed Audi standing on the platform so Jennifer stood at the edge to wave at her.

"Audi! Welcome back!" Jennifer called out. The old woman spotted her with a grin, hopping up to the side of the train just as it blew the whistle.

"There you are, Jen-girl, missed me, did you? Miss the free time at least, eh? Make friends with Anna now, treat her like a sister! I'll be over for tea with Dumbledore in a few days, so I'll see you at Hogwarts!" Audi shouted, waving as the train began to pull out. "Contact me at the Ministry if you need me!"

"Yes, Audi!" Jennifer shouted in return and waved. She stepped back inside the car, glancing in the compartments as she walked past them and stopping every now and then to talk to the students who were busy chatting about their summers.

"Professor Craw!" Jennifer peered in to one of the compartments to see Corey sitting with two other first year students and a second-year girl.

"Hello Julie," Jennifer smiled at the girl. "What's up, Corey?"

"Julie just bought us chocolate frogs, and they have cards in them! Doug got a Snape card, and Julie says they never work. I said you could get the picture to show, but Doug and Taylor don't believe it, Professor Craw. Please?" Corey asked with a grin. Sighing and shaking her head at the boy, she put her hand out.

"Oh, all right, but let's not make a habit out of this," Jennifer said in a low voice as Doug Brim handed her the card. "The last thing I want is for everyone in the school to start bringing me these dratted things to make sure there's a picture there." The students gathered around as she gazed at the card. It was not long after that Severus stepped into view, squinting at the students surrounding her with suspicion.

"Does he look that mean in person?" Taylor Brittle asked.

"He's not mean, not really," Corey said. Jennifer looked at him in surprise.

"Don't ever let him hear you say that," Jennifer warned Corey, who grinned back.

"Do we really have to have Potions all seven years?" Julie asked her pleadingly.

"I would definitely recommend it," Jennifer said. "If you're lucky, you might even pass it without blowing up the lab this year," she teased, handing the card back. The picture stormed out of view.

"There he goes again," Doug said with a sigh. "Well, at least I almost have a complete set, now."

"Professor, I didn't put soap chips in the ingredients. The Slytherin boys did. He didn't believe me, but you do, don't you?" Julie asked pleadingly.

"Do I believe you? Yes. Do I butt in when it's not my class? No. You know that by now. Besides, it's a whole new year, the points will be clean, and you can give it a better go so that won't lose quite so many points this time," Jennifer winked.

"When you're outnumbered five Slytherin to one it's not easy, Professor Craw," Julie sighed. "But of course I'll do my best."

Remus tugged on Jennifer's shoulder and pointed down to the last passenger car. Jennifer nodded and went towards it, waving at students as she passed.

"Try it," Jennifer heard Ron say before she got there. "Oh come on, just try this one, it looks safe enough."

"They're not going to try to jump away or anything?" a woman's voice asked.

"No, no, they just might taste bad is all. Come on, you might get lucky," Ron said.

"Harry, why don't you go first?" Ginny's voice said.

"All right, I'll go first," said Harry.

Jennifer peered in to see a circle of Bertie Botts beans on the floor, each one a different color. Sitting on one side of the room was Ron and Hermione, Ron's arm nonchalantly stretched on the seat behind Hermione's back. On the other bench sat Harry Potter with Ginny Weasley sitting on one side and an older woman on the other, who was watching the ritual with apparent fascination. Jennifer had little doubt that this was Anna Hughes.

The woman was wearing a rather Mugglish-looking skirt and jumper, her light brown hair tossed into a haphazard tail with strands hanging lose all about as if it had recently been cut short and was being left to grow out now. A thoughtful expression was in her stormy grey eyes, and Jennifer couldn't help feeling a strange connection; as if she had seen that look a hundred times before somewhere else and just couldn't place it. She must have been fairly tall as well, for even sitting down she looked taller than Ginny and Hermione.

Harry picked up the bean in front of him, taking a cautious nibble before making a face.

"I'm out. I'm definitely out," he said, grimacing in disgust. "Your turn, Ginny."

"Watch, she'll take the pink one again, she always does," Ron said, looking across at his sister.

"That's because there are less bad things it can be," she explained, picking it up. Taking a test of it, she then popped it in her mouth triumphantly. "Strawberry, I'm still in. Who's next?"

"Hi guys!" Jennifer said as she stepped in the doorway, ignoring Ron's quick retrieval of his arm from behind Hermione. "Playing roulette, eh?"

"You want in?" Harry asked with a grin. Jennifer grinned back, looking over the available colors and picked purple, watching Anna's face thoughtfully. Anna was no longer looking curious, but rather was viewing Jennifer with alarm and suspicion. Jennifer wondered about that as she bit into the bean.

"Prune. I don't like them, but I can eat it," Jennifer decided, and did. "Who's your new friend?"

"Professor, this is Anna Hughes, she's a friend of Dumbledore's," Harry explained. "Anna Hughes, this is Professor Craw, a good friend of ours and Dumbledore's." Jennifer chuckled.

"Well, that was quite an introduction. It's always good to know what Dumbledore thinks of a person though, isn't it?" Jennifer winked at Harry before turning back to Anna's wary look. Jennifer glanced her thoughtfully a moment. "So, you've met before?"

"Oh, yes, last year when she…" Harry paused when Hermione cleared her throat loudly. Jennifer glanced over at Hermione.

"Ah, you've been to Hogwarts before? I didn't hear about that one," Jennifer said, rather annoyed. "And I'm supposed to know about all the guests."

"It was a rather unexpected visit," Ron offered.

"What they mean is, I sort of stumbled in there by mistake," Anna said, still keeping her eyes on the professor. Jennifer grinned at her.

"Well, maybe you got there by accident, Anna, but I guarantee you that nobody gets to Hogwarts by mistake." Jennifer heard someone behind her and made room in the doorway.

"Hello Anna, remember me?" Remus said with a smile.

"Oh, hi, Remus!" Anna smiled, a bit relieved. "For a moment there I wondered if I got on the right train."

"No, this is the right one," he said, smiling at the others.

"Hello, Remus! What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Oh, just came along for the trip, Harry," Remus smiled. "We should be getting back to our compartment, Professor," he suggested to Jennifer.

"Nice meeting you, Anna," Jennifer said. "See you later, guys," she waved to the rest as they walked back.

"Well?" Remus asked when they finally slipped into the front.

"Well, she's no Muggle," Jennifer said with a shrug. "Just don't ask me what she is, because I don't have any idea. Do you?"

"I haven't ever seen her really do anything. I've only heard that she Apparates in strange places…"

"Just a minute. She was able to Apparate _into_ Hogwarts?" Jennifer asked blankly. "That shouldn't be possible."

"I don't know how she did it. I only heard about it when someone had to take her home. Nearly everyone was at Malfoy's trial at that time. Anyhow, at that point Dumbledore apparently thought she would be safer going back home. But now it seems he has changed his mind," Remus explained.

"Audi wrote me just after she left and said her house got ransacked," Jennifer said thoughtfully. "She lives close by where Anna used to live, doesn't she?"

"What I gathered from Dumbledore was that Audi moved there because of the Anna," he nodded.

"Now I know why she was so interested in the Muggle postman," Jennifer laughed. "And here I just thought she was being a gossip. I should have known better."

Suddenly Remus tilted his head to the side and put a hand on his seat.

"Are we slowing down?" he asked.

Jennifer and Remus quickly got up, making their way into the engine. Inside, a pair of Dwarven mechanics, the conductor, and the engineer were looking towards the rail ahead skeptically.

"What's going on?" Remus asked as Jennifer gazed out the window. A chill went down her back as the train to circle towards the bridge, for there was no bridge there. To either side of the track appeared to be a dark blotch that stretched out before the chasm, gathering at the very edge of the track and trailing out towards their direction.

"Stop the train!" the conductor yelled frantically.

"No! No you can't!" Jennifer yelled as the darkness grew near. "It's a trap, you can't stop! Those are Death Eaters!"

"Then we're dead either way," one of the Dwarves said.

"Not if I can help it," Remus snapped, pushing a large ear on the wall. "Now here this! This is an emergency… this is NOT a drill. Everyone capable of casting the Levitation spell concentrate on the train and do so on the count of three. This is NOT a drill, second year and up had better have their wands out." Jennifer took out her wand and looked at Remus expectantly. "One…" Remus said raising his wand and looking down the corridor, "Two…." Pointed his wand to the floor. Jennifer did the same. "THREE!"

Suddenly Jennifer felt the train underneath her rock, nearly throwing her off her feet, but momentum kept the train going forward. She heard a noise in the back of the train and noticed one of the cars had begun to sink down. Jennifer ran back to the section as it wobbled back and forth, tossed around as if on the deck of a ship during a hurricane. The moment she made it to the car, she added her spell's strength to those inside and managed to pull it back up before the train broke in two.

"Any Prefects around?" Jennifer yelled, receiving a couple of responses. "This car is mostly first years, come give me a hand! Be careful!" They stumbled in, gritting their teeth at the cross section but managing to cross safely. The height stabilized, and Jennifer was able to once again make her way to the front.

"Remus, I don't know how long the students are going to keep this up," Jennifer said as they cleared the bridge.

"The whole way, Jennifer. If we don't…." Remus' voice trailed off as he glanced down at the blackness standing on the other edge. "The good part of all of this is that we're going record speed; apparently the combined will power is also moving us forward faster as well."

"How in constellations are we going to get down in one piece?" Jennifer asked.

"I admit I haven't figured that part out yet," he said reluctantly. "The lake, perhaps?"

"They don't learn water breathing until fourth year, and it doesn't last long," Jennifer pointed out.

"If we get that close, we'll have help."

"True, but I still don't think we can risk it," Jennifer said. There's that cornfield on the other side of the tracks, isn't there? I think I have an idea and it's a first year spell," Jennifer said.

No one would ever forget that ride. Arms were aching, minds were tired, and wills were weakening before the train finally neared its destination. Jennifer hopped from car to car, relieving some of the over extended students when she could, organizing breaks, and discussing their plans with the Head Students and Prefects.

"Just make sure everyone knows what to do," Jennifer said. "It has to be together and it has to be quick, our lives depend on it."

In the back car, Anna seemed to have fainted, and Ginny sat beside her to make sure she was all right. But Ron and Harry were more than capable of keeping that end up, and Jennifer decided it was best to leave them to their own devices for now. Hermione was in the car in front of them, trying to hold it in place and giving the other prefects a chance to rest. Three cars further up, Corey had his hands spread out, his eyes closed in concentration while Julie rested her wand arm as long as she could spare before joining him. Jennifer heard Remus calling her to the front, her legs creaking from walking on the wobbly surface.

"We're nearing the school, but I'm certain they're not expecting us this early," Remus said. He looked positively exhausted but was still holding on, helping the engineer control the direction of the train.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll figure out we're here real quick," Jennifer said grimly, speaking into the ear. "All right guys, this is it. You all are the best magic students in the world, so if anyone can do it, you guys can. On the count of three, just like you did before." She watched the field head up, and waited for a signal from the engineer to start. "One… two... THREE!"

"_CALDUS CALLUM_!"

It was September, and below them the field was brimming with growing corn, waiting to be harvested, shucked, and enjoyed by many. But alas, a blight would come to the field that the students would later dub the train blight, but others would just know simply as the biggest popcorn explosion ever to be seen anywhere.

As the students turned their focus to the field, the train began to sink while Jennifer, Remus, and the engineers worked to slow to the descent. In seconds they found themselves crashing into the exploding field, sliding into the kernels and knocking everyone to the floor as the train at last came to a complete stop. For a moment, there was silence. Jennifer sat up and looked around, and then suddenly from down the length of the train she heard a growing cheer that fed through the compartments like rolling thunder. With unmistakable incredulity, Jennifer hugged Remus, crying tears of relief. He hugged her back then helped her to her feet so they could go and check on the students.

"Prefects, report!" Jennifer called out as they went along. There was a broken arm here or there, and several bumps and bruises, and many were just bone tired but all alive at least. Remus stopped to help a student with a hurt leg as Jennifer went on, making sure there weren't any more serious injuries. Anna had awoken, although she looked exhausted. Before she could ask about her, Jennifer felt Remus touching her arm, a look of alarm on his face.

"Do you smell that?" he asked. She blinked at him.

"All I smell is popcorn. How could you possibly smell anything else?"

"I smell a rat," he said with such certainty that she pulled out her wand.

"Hermione, make sure no one leaves the train without a professor and send an owl to the school. I seriously doubt anyone could have missed us, but do it just the same," Jennifer said.

"Yes, Professor," Hermione answered, hurrying into another compartment for an owl as Jennifer and Remus headed out into the field.


	5. Mysterious Caverns

Chapter Five

Mysterious Caverns

Harry helped Anna to her feet and looked out of the window just as Craw and Lupin dove into the popcorn.

"Where are they going?" he asked Hermione, who was opening the top latch on the ceiling of the car. Justin helped her pull it open.

"If I'm not mistaken, I think they went to find Pettigrew," Hermione said, giving Justin's owl a note. The owl took it and flew out of the opening. "Lupin said he smelled a rat, and the two of them took off."

"But Pettigrew is in prison!" Justin said. "Certainly that's not who they're after." Hermione cast a levitation spell on herself and floated just high enough that she could look out of the hatch.

"I saw a rat," Anna said wearily, "a strange rat with a silver foot. It was in the baggage car. Perhaps that's what he smelled, if he really meant what he said."

Harry, Ron, and Ginny stared at her.

"That's not good," Ron said, glancing at Harry. "Harry, I know what you're thinking, but we'd better stay here like Professor Craw said."

"It's all right, everyone!" Hermione shouted from above. "I see brooms approaching and there are some professors standing beside the field. Help will be here any moment."

"I don't think everything's all right," Harry said with a hand on his forehead. "Ginny, you stay here with Hermione and Anna. Come on, Ron."

"Well, I'm not staying. I want to see what's going on," Anna insisted. "And I want off this train before it tries to take off again!"

"It's too dangerous, Anna, you should probably stay here," Harry said, working his way to the back of the car. Ron quickly followed, and the two disappeared into the popcorn. Up top, Hermione waved to Professor McGonagall who had flown over to the train on her broom, unaware that Ron and Harry had made a quick exit.

"Is everyone all right?" McGonagall asked.

"For the most part… nothing too serious, at least. What happened was…"

"That can wait a moment, Miss Granger. Tell everyone to get down. Dumbledore and the rest of us are going to move the train back onto the tracks so we can get to you quickly." Hermione sank back down, looking at Justin.

"Tell the other prefects to make everyone sit down and be quiet. The professors are going to try and get the train back over to the track," Hermione said.

"You mean this thing is going up in the air again? That's it. I'm getting off," Anna said and dove into the popcorn before anyone could stop her.

"No, wait!" Hermione called out. But just then the train began to move, rising gently in the air like a balloon, hovering above the ground. It was then that Hermione noticed movement in the fluffy field as Ron and Harry made off in the direction they thought Craw and Lupin went. She saw neither Craw nor Lupin.

"Ginny, you let Ron and Harry go out there?" Hermione asked. She crawled back into the car, not wanting to risk falling between the locks.

"You expect me to stop Harry from doing anything?" Ginny asked quizzically. "I'm not worried about them. I'm worried about Anna. Maybe we should jump off and try and go after them?"

"It's too late now," Hermione said, nodding to the window. Looking out the window, Ginny could see they were now quite a ways above the field, drifting slowly above the buildings surrounding the station. Beside it stood Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hooch, Pomfrey, Flitwick, Sinistra, Sprout, Hagrid, and even Trelawney, their wands aimed at the train as it descended gently onto the track. Just before it reached the ground, Madame Pomfrey jumped on board. As it settled into place, Dumbledore hurried inside, followed by the rest of the staff.

"Wow, can we do that every year?" a voice called out in the silent pause that had fallen when they hit the track.

"Oh, shut up, Corey," another student said.

"Everyone who is able, please exit the train and form house lines along the platform. If you are injured, please stay where you are until Madame Pomfrey reaches you," Dumbledore instructed. Although he spoke in a quiet tone, everyone on the train heard him. "Hagrid, please collect the first years and go over the roll call."

"Right away, Professor Dumbledore, sir."

"Where are Professor Craw and Mr. Lupin?"

"Professor Dumbledore," Hermione walked quickly up from the back of the train. "They went after Pettigrew. He was on the train, and then while I was talking to Professor McGonagall, Harry and Ron went after them. Then Anna found out the train was going to move again, and she bolted."

"Good heavens," Dumbledore said with a worried expression. "Take care of the students, Professor McGonagall. Professor Sprout, see what you can do about that field. I'm going to go find her," he said, stepping off the train.

* * *

"He's gone into the stone cottage," Remus said as they cleared the last of the popcorn out of their way.

"I wouldn't doubt it. That's where Severus used to meet Death Eaters at any time they wanted to speak with him. They're very familiar with this part of the forest," Jennifer said. Remus nodded.

"He wants to be followed. If he didn't, he would have Apparated by now. It might be better if you return and inform Dumbledore about Wormtail and let me take care of this." Remus suggested.

"If Dumbledore wouldn't send Sirius after Pettigrew alone, he wouldn't send you alone, especially when it's obvious that he's baiting us. Let's go in," Jennifer said.

The cottage was dusty and abandoned with dark symbols on the walls placed to ward away enemies. Remus and Jennifer glanced at each other. There was little doubt now that they should have had trouble entering this place with all the spells placed on the room.

"I smell death in the air, Jennifer."

"I smell a trap." Jennifer said.

"That too," Remus agreed. "Should we go back?"

Just then, they heard something scurry around the corner and they instinctively whipped their wands around to where they had heard it. They waited for some time, but everything had grown still again.

"No, let's finish this," Jennifer finally said. It was at that point that Jennifer realized she was actually considering killing the man that they were hunting. Jennifer, who couldn't even bring herself to hurt Voldemort, was coming to the cold realization that if Pettigrew was recaptured, he would somehow find a way to get out again.

As they cautiously crept around the corner, a foul stench met Jennifer's nose. She knew at once it was coming from the large trap door leading down to a dark cellar.

"'Welcome to my parlor,' said the spider to the fly," Remus muttered as he headed forward. They carefully stepped down a narrow rickety stair and into a strange, dark, unfinished basement. There was little doubt that magic was the only thing keeping the roof from collapsing; in every direction was a magic-made corridor, leading into darkness.

"Which way?" Jennifer asked quietly, calling a tiny wisp light to her hand so she could see.

"I can't tell. The smell is too bad down here," Remus whispered back, and then inspected each corridor thoughtfully. "This way, I think," he decided at last.

Jennifer stayed close behind, listening anxiously for the slightest sound. They had gone quite a ways without the corridor turning, and the dirt-packed tunnel kept leading them further and further out. Finally they came to a junction with three pathways that led into tunnels with rough, half-finished appearances. As she held up her wisp light to inspect them, Jennifer noticed what at first looked like scribbling on the wall next to her. Turning the light towards it, Jennifer discovered a complex map magically drawn on the wall.

"Remus, come look at the size of this place," Jennifer whispered. The tunnels went in every which direction, some of them dead-ending like a maze. Many of them probably went under the forest, Jennifer concluded as she studied them. "It's as if they're looking for something. Ways into the school, maybe?"

"Pettigrew knew how to get into the school," Remus growled softly. "But Dumbledore has those passages charmed so that he can't pass through them."

"But what else could they be looking for?" Jennifer asked. "Perhaps they're trying to find one that everyone has forgotten about."

"Well, one thing is for certain; we're sitting ducks in here. These are too extensive to follow, and Pettigrew probably knows them very well. We should get out of here quickly and tell Dumbledore what we've found."

"You're right, of course. Let's go," she agreed. They quickly turned around, Jennifer keeping an eye on their backs as they went. But when they arrived at the ladder, they noticed something a bit strange… the trap door was closed. Remus suddenly dove up the ladder in a panic, pushing it open with a loud clang. He relaxed then, glancing back with a relieved expression on his face.

"For a moment there, I thought we were in trouble. Come on, Jennifer…"

"Wait a minute. I thought I heard voices," she said, pausing to listen.

Remus removed the door off its hinges and tossed it across the floor.

"There, I heard something again," a voice in the distance.

"Harry?" Jennifer said with surprise, peering down one of the dark corridors.

"Professor! Are you all right?"

"Harry Potter! You were supposed to stay with the train!" Jennifer said angrily. Remus slid down the stair, trying to hush them.

"We heard Pettigrew escaped," another voice said.

"Ron? Anyone else down here I should know about?" Jennifer growled.

"No, just us and a rat. We followed him in here," said Harry.

"Harry, stay put and be absolutely quiet. Douse any lights you have, we're coming to get you." Remus said, taking one of the corridors opposite the one they had originally gone down.

"I should have copied that map," Jennifer whispered.

"Well, it's too late now. Look for another one as we go, and if you see one, make a copy." Remus whispered back.

It seemed only a few steps later that the tunnel broke off in many directions, and Remus had to study them for some time before he finally discerned which way they went. Once again, the path broke off into several directions and Remus paused, waiting for a drifting breeze. Suddenly, they heard voices crying out for help and Remus darted in that direction.

"Wait, Remus! That didn't sound like-"

A hand came up over her mouth and pulled her back as another arm grabbed her right forearm, squeezing it with such force that she felt something snap. She cried out in pain and dropped her wand.

"_Quietus mute_," she heard someone intone quietly, removing his hand from her mouth. She wrestled to get her arm free as he dragged her farther down the tunnel and around another corner.

"Jennifer?" she heard Remus say, but his voice seemed very far off.

Jennifer realized there was little she could do muted and without her wand, but somehow she had to either stop Pettigrew from taking her any further down the corridor or find a way to mark their path. She grabbed her mirror out of her pocket and dropped it at a crossroad just as they turned a third corner, and then dropped a pen as they went down a fourth. It was then that she found her letter opener and struggled to get to her feet. Transforming it into a dagger, she then took a wild stab above his silver arm, causing him to stop and toss her down, casting a holding spell on her. A strange light entered the room, a ghost light, Jennifer thought in annoyance, the sort that couldn't be seen outside of the room itself.

"Ah, Jennifer, such bravado you show when you're afraid!" Pettigrew said with a smile, quickly bandaging his arm with a spell. "You'll have to pay for that. I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to resist following me after the persistence you showed that night in Hogwarts. You've always been drawn to me, haven't you? Ever since that first night you handed me the mirror in the Dark Forest."

Jennifer then angrily began mouthing words at him. Even with the mute spell it was easy for him to discern what she was saying. He laughed.

"My, my, my, temper, temper. The temptress of Unicorns has quite a foul mouth when she's provoked, doesn't she? Or is that the traitor's influence on you? Either way, it doesn't matter," he said, kneeling beside her and pulling her hair out of her face.

"You'll forget about him soon enough, and in any case, they'll never find us where we're going," he said, and forced a phial of liquid down her throat. Jennifer struggled, trying to spit it out, wishing she could move her hands. She was already becoming disoriented and she tried desperately to calm herself down, wondering what he just gave her. It couldn't be poison; it sounded like he wanted her alive. Somehow he was going to forget… _it must have been some sort of bewitchment potion,_ she thought, fighting through the fuzziness. _Bewitchment, bewitchment... it needs eye contact to get a response!_ _Close your eyes… close your eyes. CLOSE YOUR EYES!_

She forced her eyes shut, wishing she had her wand, fairly sure she could get a blind spell out without verbal. Her body began to relax from the potion and she knew she couldn't do much about it. Potions, unlike regular spells, worked from the inside, making will power useless. What she needed was stamina, she thought blearily. What she needed was her voice back.

"Open your eyes! Come now, it's no use fighting," Pettigrew said impatiently. "We need to get going_. Imperio!_" Jennifer shook her head fervently as he tried to force her eyes open, launching her willpower full force towards the spell to show her defiance.

"Get away from her!" she heard Harry shout. "_Spectacularus!_" A blinding ray of colored lights burst into the room, surging through the side corridors.

"_Whipsnare!" _Ron shouted right after, throwing Pettigrew against the wall as ropes tried to lash him in place. But Pettigrew quickly fought free of the spell, growing furious.

"Enough! Let's see how you like it in a cage for twelve years. _ Rodentia_!" he cast at Ron. He blocked it easily, sliding to one knee. Pettigrew took out a phial from his pocket it and threw it at him. Then there was a bright light and a cloud of smoke, knocking Ron out and turning his face an unnatural blue.

"Ron!" Harry yelled. "_Expelliarmus!_" he cast at Pettigrew. He dodged it easily, turning his full attention to Harry.

"_Crucio!_" Pettigrew snarled. As the spell came barreling towards Harry, a strange white glow encompassed him and it seemed to pass right through him as if he hadn't even been there. Pettigrew hesitated, taken aback by what had occurred. Harry was just as surprised but had little time to think about it as Pettigrew quickly changed to the Mortification Curse. Harry nimbly jumped out of the way, but soon realized he didn't have to; the strange glow returned, fading again once the spell had dissipated.

It was then that something flashed through the air, and it took Harry a moment to realize it was a wand, smacking into Jennifer Craw's hand. A blindfold appeared over her eyes, and Harry saw her silently try to mouth a spell.

"Oh, no you don't! _Mortify!_" Pettigrew intoned, his attention so undividedly on getting her back under control that he missed the fact that someone else had entered from one of the corridors.

"_Stupefy!"_

Remus blasted Pettigrew from behind, tossing him across the room. But as the wizard was tossed against the wall, there was a loud 'BANG!' and a * pop * and Pettigrew disappeared.

"Didn't anyone think of putting an earth bind on him?" Remus panted. Harry was shaking Ron in a panic, while Jennifer was trying to sit up, apparently all right. Remus knelt by Ron.

"He's not dead, Harry, it looks like he got hit with a gaseous potion called Cat's Breath. We'll need to get him to the school as soon as we can, though," he said, removing Jennifer's blindfold.

"Remus, wait. Professor Craw put that on herself. I'm sure there's a good reason…" Harry warned. But in her daze, Jennifer had opened her eyes, gazing deeply at Remus.

"Now you tell me," Remus said as Jennifer wrapped her arms around him. How could she not have noticed before how daring he was? And such eyes! And how brilliantly he had he rescued her, Jennifer thought, not to mention saving them from a similar fate on the train. She was quite certain without the shadow of a doubt that Remus Lupin was the perfect match for her. No one could have convinced her otherwise.

Remus was frowned at her uncertainly, wary of the dreamy look in her eyes. It was easy to guess now what she had been trying to avoid, and he worriedly began to wonder how potent the potion was that had been given to her.

"Remus, she's under a mute spell," Harry said. "I saw her trying to cast a spell a moment ago and she couldn't voice it."

"Perhaps we should just leave it for now," Remus decided, awkwardly trying to convince her to put her arms down. "Can you manage to get Ron up to the surface? It looks like I'm going to have my hands full," he said, picking her up. Jennifer stopped fighting, instantly content.

"Oh boy," Remus muttered. "I don't know exactly what potion Pettigrew gave her, but we need to get her to the hospital wing as soon as we can as well."

"Preferably before Snape sees her," Harry said, carrying Ron over his shoulder.

"Most definitely," Remus agreed.

* * *

Jennifer sat up in her hospital bed and looked around. Dumbledore was sitting next to her, Poppy was on the other side of her, and Minerva hovered near the door as if trying to get Dumbledore's attention.

"I think she's all right now," Dumbledore said, watching her carefully.

"I want Ron and Harry's heads on a platter," Jennifer muttered.

"Then again, I think we may have uncovered Severus instead," Dumbledore smiled.

"They deliberately disobeyed me…"

"I know, I know, it'll be dealt with. They shall be expelled immediately," Dumbledore agreed.

"No! Don't do that," Jennifer protested, becoming alarmed. "I know they just meant to help, but gosh darn it, someone has got to chain that boy to the school if he's going to keep insisting on barreling into trouble like that!"

"Ah! There's Jennifer!" Dumbledore said, pleased.

"Dumbledore, we really can't wait much longer. The first years need to be Sorted so that we can get them settled in their houses, and it's getting late," Minerva insisted.

"Wait! I want to go!" Jennifer said, getting gently pushed back into her pillow by Poppy.

"No, you're staying here, Jennifer. We need to make sure you've got all your senses back before you go anywhere," she chided her.

"But I want to see Corey Sorted," Jennifer protested. "I'm in my right senses, really, I'm fine. Dumbledore, convince her that I'm okay to go."

"Well, I like that," Poppy said, folding her arms.

"Jennifer, do you remember what happened?" Dumbledore asked. Jennifer looked thoughtful.

"The Death Eaters tried to sabotage the train," Jennifer said slowly. "They took out the bridge, and if we stopped… it looked bad, I'd rather not imagine what would have happened." Dumbledore nodded somberly. "So Remus had all of the students help us lift the train, and we somehow managed to get it back here. I had the students pop the field while Remus and the engineers slowed the train as best they could. Once we were down, Remus said he smelled Pettigrew, so we had the prefects take over with the train so we could try to get to him before he could cause any more trouble. We tracked him to the cottage and found out there were extensive tunnels underneath. We knew it was a lost cause trying to find him down there by ourselves, so we were actually going to head back for more help. That's when we heard Harry and Ron," she muttered. "Remus and I got separated, and when… that is… Pettigrew had set up a trap for me and I fell right in it," she finally admitted with a sigh. "And honestly, I'd rather not talk about it right now. What potion had he given me?"

"Most likely Chains of Enthrallment from what Remus said, not that I'm any expert," Poppy said. Jennifer groaned.

"Please don't tell me how badly I behaved. I don't want to know." Dumbledore smiled and patted her arm.

"Not as bad as you might imagine, I assure you. Remus and Harry whisked you and Ron in here quite speedily after the incident, and I understand you had a mute spell on you the entire time."

"Severus?"

"Severus has yet to return, but I will let you be the one to tell him all about it… or not, if that's what you want. I'm quite sure you can trust the other four not to say anything."

"Other... four?" Jennifer repeated uncertainly.

"Yes, although you may not have known it, Anna was there with you as well. But she too, is safe and sound. However, we should leave that discussion for another time. As Minerva has already pointed out, it is starting to get late, and we should be getting ready to go down to dinner. Don't you think so, Poppy?" Dumbledore smiled at Poppy, who reluctantly nodded but made Jennifer promise to go to bed right after dinner.


	6. Semblance of Normalcy

Chapter Six

Semblance of Normalcy

Jennifer took her place between Severus Snape's empty chair and Filius Flitwick's. The Charms professor was already seated on his stack of pillows when she arrived.

"So glad to see you! I didn't know if you'd be here considering the flying train and all," he teased cheerfully. "I saw it come in from my window, and what a sight it was! It looked like a seasick dragon crashing into a cloud, puffing away all the while."

"It was definitely a memorable experience, but not one I'd care to repeat," Jennifer admitted with a grin.

"Yes, and I bet the Ministry will have a lot of fun trying to cover that one up. 'Floating train seen over countryside, say local farmers!'" Filius laughed. Jennifer blinked.

"I hadn't even thought of that," she admitted, wondering if she were going to get fines again.

Dumbledore, Minerva and Remus entered, followed by Anna, Harry, and Ron who made their way to sit at the Gryffindor table. Jennifer watched the older woman in surprise and glanced back up to Dumbledore, who didn't seem at all surprised. Jennifer frowned. How annoying it was to be on the other side of the study door when something interesting was going on! Well, she always had dinner at Hagrid's on Saturdays, she thought to herself, so if she hadn't figured it out by then, she could always confront them about it.

Jennifer waited impatiently for Minerva to bring in the first years, while beside her Filius commented that he'd heard there were quite a few talented students coming in this year. Of course, he said that every year, Jennifer chuckled softly to herself. Along the side professor's table, she noticed Remus sitting with Hagrid, glancing over at her with an almost timid smile. She smiled warmly back at him, trying not to show her discomfort. Then she gazed back at the main doors, wishing they would open.

At last Minerva entered with the new students, and Jennifer careened her neck to see Corey, who was gaping at the Great Hall and staring at the students at the tables as they walked to the front. He gazed at the head table and smiled at Jennifer, but his face fell as he scanned the rest of the table and at the empty seat beside her. The frown didn't last long because he had noticed the Sorting Hat, squinting at it suspiciously as Minerva went up to call out the names.

"Doug Brim!"

Julie's younger brother stepped up, grinning at Cory and Taylor as he got on the stool, trying to show them he how nervous he wasn't. Down went the Hat, thinking a while before it called out, "_Gryffindor!_"

Then she noticed the other boy from the compartment, Taylor Brittle come up, watching to see where Corey's other fast friend was going to go. The Hat wasn't long in deciding, and shouted out "_Ravenclaw!" _for everyone to hear. Beside her, Filius clapped happily, and so did she, knowing that he would probably be one of her most thoughtful students.

Jennifer found she was quickly making mental notes on each child, and even though each one had their own personalities, she did find she knew just about what to expect from a student of Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, or Slytherin just from where they were placed. At last came Corey Willowby, grinning nervously at Jennifer before hopping up on the stool. Jennifer gazed intently at the Hat, hoping to hear every word.

"_My goodness, where am I going to put you?_" said the Hat. "_Well, you are definitely not a Hufflepuff, that is for certain, nor Slytherin, that is sure. You have a gifted mind, it is true, but still, I think you're best for… Gryffindor!_"

Oh no, another Gryffindor, Jennifer clapped with a grin, secretly thinking he'd have made Ravenclaw for sure. But then, she knew he had that witty, conniving, charming side that seemed more suited for the house he was put in, and he was obviously happy about being in any house right now. The last two students were Sorted, and the numbers seemed to be balanced again, unlike last year where most of the students seemed to go to Slytherin. Dumbledore stood for announcements, smiling at them for a long time before speaking.

"First, I want to say how happy I am to have you all here, safe and sound. I also want to say how proud I am for all of your brave and valiant efforts getting here this afternoon. I am quite sure this event will end up in the school history books, and your children and children's children will be forced to learn about it." A rolling chuckle spread through the Hall. "I would like to also thank our school friend, Mr. Remus Lupin, and our own Professor Craw, for orchestrating that event and keeping everyone from losing their heads on the way.

"Now, as I'm sure you realize, these events also remind us of how trying these times are that we live in, and because of them, we're going to have to take greater security precautions than ever before. It is with deep regret that I must inform you that all student trips to Hogsmeade are suspended until further notice," a disagreeable rumble went up among the students. "Also, you may not leave the grounds for any reason without _my_ express permission. We will also be reviewing security procedures for the train service, but hopefully we'll have that cleared away before the holidays. As always, the Dark Forest is off limits, and Mr. Filch's banned item list is posted on his office door for any who are unsure of what is and is not allowed in the halls and in the school. And now, I have only three more words for all of you. _Hold the popcorn_."

With an outbreak of laughter, the feast appeared. Jennifer grinned over at Remus, who was grinning mischievously back at her. She glanced over the tables below with a smile. Well, the year didn't exactly start smooth, but it was nice to see some semblance of normalcy again in the Great Hall of Hogwarts.

* * *

It was extremely late when there came a knock on the door. Jennifer became instantly awake, leaping out of bed and diving towards the sitting room, Ratfly squeaking with irritation as she passed. Severus stood expectantly on the other side, looking tired and annoyed as she let him in the dark room.

"Sorry, had to change the password, it's Rosencrantz."

"Never mind about that. I want you to tell me about everything that happened today," Severus said with a frown.

"How much have you heard?" Jennifer asked.

"Well, I heard about your interesting train ride, but then again, everyone's talking about that. I'm more interested to hear what they're not talking about," he said. "Like why Ron and Harry are signed up for detention, and how come Lupin is avoiding me, and why was someone in my office today?"

"Ron and Harry are in trouble for leaving the train before anyone gave them permission to leave. What makes you think Remus is avoiding you? And as to why someone was in your office, it wasn't me," she said and went over to the couch, wondering how she was going to tell him.

"I know it wasn't you. You always leave everything out of order when you borrow anything." Severus said, noting the way she had walked away from him. "One thing is perfectly clear and that is everyone I've spoken with tonight has decided to leave it to you to tell me about something, and for some reason you don't want to do it. You've never kept anything from me."

"I just don't want you to get worried," Jennifer sighed.

"Well. now I'm worried that you don't want to get me worried," Severus said, sitting beside her and making her look at him. "You haven't been this reluctant to tell me something since that time you pulled a wand on Malfoy," he added searchingly. "Tell me." Jennifer sighed.

"Pettigrew was on the train today. He snuck in the baggage car. Remus and I went after him after we landed."

"He what? Why didn't anyone send for me and Sirius? We were searching for him all day, what happened?" Severus demanded, grabbing her arms.

"Could you please stick to one question at a time? You're making me nervous," Jennifer snapped back. "There wasn't any time. We wanted to catch up with him before he endangered anyone else. But he ran straight for the stone cottage." A quick flash of fear surged through Severus' eyes like a lightning strike, a dark gaze remaining in its absence. "The wards were dispelled… we didn't know what we'd stumbled into. I'm still not completely sure. We followed him down into a maze of tunnels that didn't seem to go anywhere, but it didn't take us long to figure out there was no way we could win down there so were going back to get help. That's when we heard Harry and Ron in the caverns. They'd followed us down. We went to find them, and got separated…" Jennifer paused a moment, aware that her voice was trembling. This wasn't like her to get so unnerved, she thought angrily.

"It was a trap, he was trying to get at me, and as usual I walked right into it," she said. "He came up behind me and had me disarmed and muted before I could do a thing, and tried to drag me further in. I was able to get a hand free and left a trail of my junk so the others could find me if they went looking. I finally got him to let go, but… he… forced me to drink a bewitchment potion, if they hadn't found me…" Jennifer was keenly aware of Severus stiffening in anger, and quickly reached out to hold his clenched hands. "I did the only thing I could and just closed my eyes and refused to open them. I don't know how much longer I could have been able to hold on, but Harry and Ron showed up, and then Remus must have tried to pick up my wand where it'd dropped because it came back into my hand. Then somehow, and I'm not quite sure how, Pettigrew got thrown into the wall when Remus cast a spell on him, and he managed to Disapparate out of a Stupefy."

"Yes, I've seen him do something like that before," Severus said, his voice far from calm. "One thing is certain, when I find him, he won't be breathing long enough to escape again."

"That was another thing," Jennifer said as she thought back on it, "he used a Cat's Breath phial on Ron." Severus squinted.

"That's quite a complicated potion. What kind of bewitchment potion was it?" he asked.

"Poppy thought Chains of Enthrallment," Jennifer admitted. Severus' eyes went wide and he held her tightly against him for a moment.

"Where is Pettigrew getting the potions?" Severus asked and suddenly growled. "I know quite well he couldn't make a basic brew without blowing half the lab up, although knowing him he could have been doing it on purpose. Malfoy has the skill, but he's still stewing in jail."

"Voldemort has picked up a lot more followers if what we saw at the bridge was any indication," Jennifer said. "Any one of them could be helping him." Severus sighed, privately wishing he still had an inside view of what was going on.

"I'll talk to Exeter, perhaps he knows something," Severus said. "In the meantime, I want you to promise me not to be following Pettigrew if he tries to set you up again. You should have known better than to go down there in the first place from how many curses were placed on it, dispelled or not."

"Do you know what they were looking for? That didn't seem to be random digging down there. They seemed to be searching for something," Jennifer asked. Severus gazed at her thoughtfully, somewhat reluctant to say more.

"They were looking for the Forbidden Tomb, Jennifer," Severus said. "Dumbledore is aware of what they were doing, but I ask that you not mention that to anyone else. There is no reason to start a panic about something that Voldemort has obviously not been able to find."


	7. The Joys of Teaching

Chapter Seven

The Joys of Teaching

The first day of class went off without a hitch. In fact, it was so smooth that Jennifer was wondering when the other shoe was going to drop. She had back-to-back second years for her first two classes, so after a brief introduction, Jennifer decided to open Dark Creature Defense by borrowing Snape's familiar, Rasputin. The basilisk looked rather bored at being showcased, eyeing the students from a distorted glass eye as if wondering if any of them would make a good lunch. His good eye was annoyingly covered with an eye patch, and he rubbed up against Jennifer, hoping she would take it off.

"This is another good reason why you want to stay out of Snape's office without his permission, by the way," she told the class as she fixed the band around its head. Rasputin was far from happy and finally broke free from her grip, slipping to the floor as the students jumped onto their seats. "As you know, this particular species of basilisk can be caused by a reptile that has been hatched by a chicken, but share a common snake based hissing language, as does the common basilisk. This is obviously a lizard variety of basilisk, known as the monitor basilisk." Unconcerned over the student's reactions, he made himself comfortable under Jennifer's desk. "The first rule to defeating any dark creature," Jennifer said calmly, leaning on her desk, "is controlling your fear of them. To have access to all of your defenses, you need a clear mind, first and foremost. Now, I know we've worked with fear spells last year, but now it's time to move on to the real deal. I'm sure all of you are as enthusiastic and excited about that idea as I am," Jennifer said, grinning mischievously. The class – who looked at Jennifer then the basilisk and back - was not quite sure about the enthusiasm part, but they did have to admit that it was probably going to be exciting.

Her first class with Corey was just after lunch, and Corey was more than pleased about finally getting to sit in on one of Jennifer's classes, whispering to some of the other students that he had already met her. In fact, he was whispering with Taylor so much that Jennifer soon had to move him away from the Ravenclaw side of the room, putting him up towards the front to keep an eye on them. After that he kept fairly quiet, listening intently as she covered the different senses they had to use to detect evil, and frowned glumly when she handed out the assignment asking them to write a paragraph on each. Several of the students, including Corey, didn't look very enthusiastic about having homework already, reluctantly looking over the list in front of them.

The next morning in the staff room, Rolanda gestured for Jennifer to come sit with her, offering her a cup of coffee.

"I heard from Minerva you were going to help with Quidditch tryouts this year?" she inquired with a smile.

"If Minerva says I am, I am," Jennifer said with resignation and a smile. "Tomorrow morning, right?"

"Right. The captains do most of the real work, we just mainly make sure everyone behaves and nobody gets hurt. Oh, that reminds me. You won't believe what one of the first years said to me today. Mr. Willowby asked me what the point was to having Chasers. In fact, he didn't see any point to the Quaffle either; he said why bother doing anything when whoever gets the Snitch wins the game anyhow? He thinks the rules should be rewritten so that the goals are more points to make it more exciting." Jennifer couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, it would make it more exciting," Jennifer admitted.

"That boy would change every rule in the book if he had a notion," Minerva said from where she stood near the door. "I ended up spending half of his class explaining goblin money to them because he wanted to know what use was Transfiguration if it couldn't make everyone rich."

"Well, he _seemed_ to be doing all right in my class," Filius added from the end of the table, "Until I noticed he wasn't using his wand at all."

"I'm sorry, Filius. I should have warned you that he was a Focus Caster so you could have watched for that," Jennifer grinned.

"Quite all right. I think I got my point across in the end. He does seem to have his own mind on how to do things though, doesn't he?" Filius said.

Jennifer found out how right he was later that afternoon when she asked for assignments turned in. She glanced through them, reading a few answers here and there, and then frowned.

"Corey? You didn't turn in a paper?"

"Well, I hadn't quite finished it yet, so I was hoping you'd let me turn it in late," Corey said hesitantly. Jennifer blinked with surprise, and held her hand out until he showed her the paper. The answers were incomplete at best, and some weren't answered at all.

"Corey, I wasn't expecting perfect answers. All I was looking for was some idea of what you personally thought of as evil. I take it from this you have no opinion on these?" Jennifer asked sternly.

"Well, sometimes you can't sense evil at all until it's too late, so not answering is it's own answer, isn't it?" Corey suggested.

"Corey, we're studying the ways we _can_ sense them, not the ways we can't."

"Professor Craw? How come we have to study them at all?" Corey asked. Jennifer blinked at him, but it was an honest question.

"Because if you can sense evil, you can do something about it. And unfortunately, being a wizard there are a lot of dark creatures and entities out there that will do you harm just for being what you are. So, we teach you to protect yourselves from that."

"But that's what I don't get. Wouldn't it be a lot easier for an evil creature to go after non-magic people… Muggles, I mean, since they don't know any magic and can't protect themselves at all? It'd seem like they'd be much easier targets." Corey said.

"Well, sometimes they do attack Muggles, unfortunately, but from a Muggle perspective, you probably have never heard of it because it was covered up by us to protect them from knowing such things exist."

"But, Professor, that's where I'm getting confused," Corey said. "Yesterday, you told us that the key to defeating the dark arts is knowledge. If that's so, how come the Muggles aren't ever told about them? It can't be to protect them; they're getting caught unawares. It'd have to be to protect us somehow," he said, looking thoughtful.

The entire class was looking at Corey at that point, including Jennifer, who had no idea how to answer that. She'd never really looked at it that way before. She noticed an empty silence setting in as he looked at her expectantly, and Jennifer quickly untied her tongue.

"Well, it's an interesting line of questioning, Corey Willowby, but this class is on teaching you how to defend yourself, not on magic philosophy. So, you are losing five points from Gryffindor for not finishing your assignment, and five more every day you don't turn it in after today. I expect you should try to make some effort at getting it done," she said, handing him back his paper. Corey looked at her in surprise, taking the paper back as she headed up to the front of the class to teach about sensing dark magic by smell. Was this the same person he'd met over the summer, he wondered skeptically?

After the last class period as Jennifer was stacking her books, there was a knock at the door and she looked over to see Hermione standing there, smiling.

"Hi, Hermione, what's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could talk to Madam Pince for me? See, I was going to get out a couple of books on item hexing from the restricted section to study on before class, but Madam Pince says she doesn't see any reason to give them out to me yet since I haven't even had the class yet…" Jennifer chuckled.

"All right, all right, Hermione. Don't you ever stop reading? Even my Ravenclaw students don't seem as enthusiastic about reading ahead as you do. Hang on a moment, and I'll walk you down there."

"Oh, it's no trouble, Professor, I can just…"

"It's all right, I wanted to chat with Madam Pince a moment anyhow," Jennifer assured her, wondering why Hermione didn't want her to go with her. Jennifer threw her books in her office so they could head out. "So how's Ron doing? All recovered, now?"

"Yes, he's doing much better," Hermione nodded, looking straight forward. "They are really sorry about what happened."

"Yes, I'm sure they are, and they're going be even sorrier when they find out who their detentions will be with this weekend," Jennifer decided as they turned down the back corridor.

"Who is it? I won't tell," Hermione coaxed, but Jennifer knew better than that.

"You will tell, but then, they'll know soon enough anyhow. Snape has Harry, and I think Trelawney has Ron." Hermione made a face.

"Well, I know I shouldn't feel sorry for them, so I won't," Hermione said. "But I am glad it isn't me," she added. Jennifer grinned at her as they slipped into the library, walking up to the desk.

"I've given permission to Hermione to study ahead if she likes, and we're covering advanced items in a few weeks." Jennifer told Irma, who frowned at Hermione.

"Oh, very well, then," Irma said, putting her duster down as Hermione hurried towards the back to get her books. Anna, who was sitting at a table reading out of a large tome, waved at Hermione as she passed and they spoke a moment before Hermione returned with her books. "Oh, Jennifer, I thought you would be interested to know that my sister was really appreciative of the way you fixed up the Haven's Bluff cottage."

"Oh really? I'm glad she liked it," Jennifer said, suddenly interested. "In fact, I'm hoping that she'll let me rent it next year too?"

"Ah, well, actually, now that it's all cleaned up and all she's put it up on the market, since she really never uses it. The property value went up now that there's a wizard student next door, you know."

"She's selling it?" Jennifer said, her face fallen.

"Yes, for twenty five hundred I think it is, of course it's the land too, even though it's not big of a house. You know, if you're interested, she'd probably give you first go at it," Irma added. Jennifer also noted that there'd be a share in it for Irma as well. Hermione set her books on the table as Jennifer thought things over. Jennifer hadn't ever had that much money at one time in her life. She could always get into the vault, she thought, but was it really worth it? As much as she loved the little house, she knew Severus didn't care for it. And it wasn't as if she wasn't going to see Corey now that he was going to school.

"No, no thanks, that's all right," Jennifer sighed. "But thank your sister all the same… Hermione? What's this?" Jennifer suddenly glanced at the books Hermione had on the table, pulling out a book entitled; _Solutions from Solutions, Dark Potions Revealed._

"Oh!" Hermione said, acting surprised. "Must have been put back in the wrong section. I'll take it back," she insisted apologetically, but Jennifer snagged it away. It was not surprising to her to find Cat's Breath listed in the spell list; she'd seen the book before.

"Actually, I think I am going to check it out," Jennifer said, smiling at Irma. Irma was eyeing Hermione suspiciously, scouring over the other books to make sure everything was in order. Thanking them, Hermione headed towards the Great Hall for dinner but Jennifer was quick to catch up.

"Just a moment, Hermione," Jennifer said, causing the girl to pause. "Look, I know what you're after, but trust me when I say that there's already someone looking into where the potions came from." Hermione looked over at Jennifer thoughtfully.

"You don't think Pettigrew was capable of making them either, do you?" Hermione asked.

"No, but regardless, I'm sure we can handle finding out about it, okay? This is your last year, Hermione, and if you still want to finish the top of your class, you'd better be more concerned about your schoolwork. You don't want anyone passing you up, do you?"

"Professor Craw, sometimes there are more important things than finishing first," Hermione said and walked away. Jennifer looked after her in complete shock. There was little doubt now that Hermione was not going to let this go.

Glancing at her watch, Jennifer went down to the dungeons, knocking twice before entering Severus' office. She hesitated when she opened the door and saw that Remus was there as well, but Severus noticed her and gestured for her to come on in.

"Something smells unusually vile," Jennifer couldn't help but to comment, peering at the cauldron on the fire before grinning sympathetically at Remus.

"Try having to drink it," Remus grunted, then smiled weakly at her.

"Anything in particular you needed to see me about?" Severus asked, suddenly irritated as he watched the awkward exchange of greetings between them.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry," Jennifer said, putting the tome down in front of him. "I caught Hermione trying to sneak this out of the library. Thought it might interest you."

"So, Sherlock and the three Watsons are at it again, are they," Severus scowled. "That's just what we need right now."

"Pretty much what I was thinking. Trying to discourage them just makes it worse, too," Jennifer sighed. "Can't you talk to Harry? You have him all day Sunday. Maybe…"

"Oh, he is definitely not going to listen to me, especially once he finds out what I have in store for him for his detention. Not that he ever listens to me, anyway. You have Harry duty tomorrow, why don't you talk to him?"

"He doesn't listen to me either, not on stuff like this," Jennifer muttered.

"Why don't you just let them?" Remus suggested, earning glares in both directions. "They're going to keep it up no matter what you do, and so long as you keep an eye on them, perhaps they can uncover something we've missed? They've done it in the past."

"Yes, and nearly gotten people killed because of it," Severus snapped, "as I'm sure you well know."

"They've saved a few too," Remus pointed out.

"Remus, after what they pulled the other day, I'm not too inclined to trust their judgment at the moment," Jennifer said. "Besides, they're still Hogwarts students and our responsibility. The last thing we need is to have to stop everything and go after them because they decided it was all right for them to break the rules again."

"I couldn't have put it better myself," Severus agreed. Remus looked between them.

"Have it your way," Remus shrugged at last, shaking his head at them, "but don't be surprised when despite all your best efforts Harry Potter and his friends come charging in the nick of time to save you."

"Or bury us," Severus grunted, handing Remus his potion.


	8. Weekend Visits

Chapter Eight

Weekend Visits

"You sure you're all right, Professor Craw?" Harry asked as Jennifer rubbed her aching shoulder. "I'm sure Corey didn't mean to hit you with that Bludger like that."

"I know he didn't," Jennifer chuckled weakly. "But you know how slow my broom is. And someone needs to explain to him that he can't try to be a Beater and Chaser at the same time."

Jennifer's skill on a broom was legendary in the school, but unfortunately, it was for all the wrong reasons. Even with an Automatic-Uncrashable broom, she still seemed to manage to get into accidents. Still, being on events security she had been talked into referring on occasion, and after years of avoiding the game was starting to get an appreciation for it.

"Well, I think he did a really good job considering he was first year and he knew about as much about Quidditch as I did when I first started playing," Harry said. "I bet he'll make a decent Beater next year, what do you think, Ginny?" He put his arm around her, having learned from watching Hermione and Ron that Professor Craw conveniently never noticed.

"Well, if I make team captain after you're gone, I'll sure keep an eye on him," Ginny said, then sighed. "Next year is going to be dreadful with the three of you gone. Who am I going to talk to? And I'll never see you."

"So!" Ron said, desperate to change the subject as they walked across the grounds. "When's sparring club starting up again?"

"I think Professor Snape's planning on next Wednesday for our first meeting. Are you all going?" Only Hermione shook her head.

"I think I'm going to do extra studying this year," Hermione decided, looking thoughtful.

"Wasn't it just yesterday you told me some things are more important than schoolwork?" Jennifer said, putting her hands on her hips, looking at her. But her face revealed that she was actually thinking of taking extra courses.

"Hermione said that? You sure that wasn't another Hermione?" Ron teased.

"You know, it's about time we start thinking about our future, I mean, what it is exactly do we want to be doing once we get out of school." Hermione said.

"We have a whole year to figure that out," Ron said.

"We have _only_ a year to figure that out," Hermione said.

"Guys, I think you just have senior blues," Jennifer chuckled as they stepped up to Hagrid's house. "Don't let it bring you down, you'll still be the same people either way."

"I'm not sure I really want to leave," said Hermione wistfully.

"Me either," said Harry.

"I do," Ron said firmly.

"So do I," Ginny admitted.

"And I thought my life was complicated," Jennifer chuckled as she knocked on the door. Hagrid popped it open.

"Wull don' jus' stand there, come in, come in," Hagrid said, ushering them in. "I asked Anna ta stop by too, hope you don' mind, she was feelin' a bit down," he confided in Jennifer.

"Hi Anna! It's good to see you!" Harry smiled. Anna was sitting at the table, looking at its size and wondering how everyone was going to fit.

"Hi, Harry, how's it going?" Anna said, scooting back a bit as Hagrid reached for the table, pulling on it. Suddenly it seemed to stretch out, making room for everyone but at the same time it didn't seem to take up any more space. While Anna was busy trying to figure that out everyone else sat down, chatting with Hagrid merrily as he served tea.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked. Anna gave him a startled, horrified look. Jennifer watched her thoughtfully, again curious about the woman. She seemed so out of place. It reminded her somehow of how Severus looked when he had come to pick her up from America after the summer holiday last year.

"Ah, well, he's doing something for Dumbledore, I imagine, else he'd be along. Just as well, I s'ppose, though o'course I always have room fer one more," Hagrid said cheerfully. "I baked some of my Hagrid quiche just for you, Professor!"

"Quiche! I know what quiche is, that's a start," Anna said suddenly with a nervous grin. Jennifer smiled at her.

"Perfect, Hagrid. It's good to be back here with all of you again, and the quiche just really makes it feel like home," Jennifer smiled. "I don't think I'd ever want to be anywhere else."

"What about that house you stayed in over the summer, Professor?" Hermione asked. "I mean, you seemed rather upset to find out they were going to sell it." Jennifer frowned.

"Did I? Well, it was a nice little place, but…well, it's just not worth the price and all, not when I'd only be using it three months out of the year," Jennifer said, shrugging it off, wanting to change the subject. "You're from Springfield, aren't you, Anna? I visited there a couple of summers ago."

"One of the places I'm from, yes. I worked there as a profile researcher," she nodded. "I used to be a journalist, actually, but I got swept up in this story and…now I work with criminal profiles."

"What's that?" Jennifer asked.

"Well, it's when you research a suspect's background to pick up certain behavior patterns so that the police can track them down," she explained.

"It's like a non-magic Truth Seeker, Professor," Hermione added. "They find out about where they are and what they're like without being able to mind read at all. They put facts together." Jennifer's eyes went wide.

"You can do that without magic?"

"You can do a lot of things without magic," Anna said, looking slightly annoyed.

"Oh, sorry," Jennifer said, blushing slightly. "I grew up in a purist family, so I really don't know much about Muggles. I've lived near them, just haven't been really exposed to them. I've read some of the literature, though, over the summer. Shakespeare is brilliant, although he does have quite an odd view of witches."

"A purist family?" Anna asked.

"Pure-bloods, folks that don't believe in mixing with non-magic folk or wizards from Muggle families. My father was one of the first, if not the first Craw to break that line in centuries…my mother was half-Muggle. Even though it did cause a few problems with grandfather, I guess." Jennifer said, looking sad a moment. "I don't feel that way, in any case, that is what I meant to say. Such things shouldn't get in the way when you love one another."

"I couldn't agree more," Hermione said, "of course, being Muggleborn myself, I am quite biased."

"I have a ton of classic books. Audi let me bring a trunk full, if you'd like to come and borrow one or two," Anna offered.

It suddenly dawned on Jennifer that one of the main reasons that Anna was hanging around with the students was there was really no one close to her age around that she could really identify with. Knowing next to nothing about Muggles, Jennifer knew she was probably not an ideal companion. But still, perhaps she could try bridge the gap she knew that was between them.

"That'd be great! Perhaps you can help explain some of the things I don't understand too, like, what's a telegram?" Jennifer asked.

"Oh, that's just a message sent by wire," Anna said.

"You send messages with wire?" Jennifer asked, imagining a large clothesline with notes dangling down from it.

"Only important ones. The rest is done by mail," Anna said with a nod.

"Important ones?"

"Like what Revere delivers," Harry said.

"Oh, those kinds of messages." Jennifer shuddered. "I understand that, then."

"Most people don't send telegrams any more, though, it's antiquated. We use telephones, cell phones, computers, and fax machines…"

"Facts machines?" Jennifer asked.

"'Ere, now, this conversation mi' take all nigh' at this rate," Hagrid said, putting down the plates. "Your food's gettin' cold."

"I'll save it for when I come over then," Jennifer laughed, "Hagrid, you're totally amazing, this is lovely!"

The conversation soon turned to what creatures Hagrid was covering this year, and besides keeping up with the house mascots, Hagrid added some Pookatans, Lightning kittens, and Shadewolf cubs into the pen, making for some exciting moments.

"The kittens weren't tae happy 'bout them cubs, but they get on all righ' now, fer th' most part," Hagrid said, but his eyes wandered worriedly out the window as he said that.

"Are those kittens from the cat you saved last year from the storm, Hagrid?" Jennifer asked curiously. Hagrid nodded, grimacing.

"I wasn' exactly countin' on her being expectin', but I figured it were a good enuff opportunity for a class."

"As long as they don't get wet," Jennifer said with a chuckle.

After dinner they stayed and talked a while, but it was not too long before Hagrid was getting up, piling up dishes into the sink.

"We best be gettin' goin' soon. Shouldn't wait too long ta take Anna back ta her cabin, ya know what the forest can be like," he said, the students immediately starting to get up.

"The forest?" Jennifer asked.

"Anna's staying in a cabin near the Centaur's glen. Dumbledore and McGonagall fixed it up for her," Harry explained.

"Wull I had sommat ta do with it too," Hagrid said. Jennifer looked at him closely. So there was some problem with keeping her in the school, something to do with security, she thought. What was going on? Dumbledore wanted to bring her near, but not at the school? The girl sees herself as a Muggle but feels otherwise? Hagrid, apparently, didn't know too much, and Jennifer soon gave up trying to delve into his face for answers.

"Is it too late to stop by for a book?" Jennifer asked quickly, looking at Anna. "I can always Apparate back to the gate afterwards," she added before Hagrid could say anything.

"That'd be fine," Anna said with a smile.

"Good. Let me walk these four back then and I'll come back." Jennifer said.

"I don't suppose we can go?" Harry asked with a hopeful grin.

"Absolutely not. You know how Dumbledore feels about students in the forest," Jennifer said firmly. "I'm not going to go against Dumbledore. Come on." The four students went sulkily back, talking among themselves about the next day.

"Ginny and I are going to go watch the game," Hermione said, speaking to Ron and Harry. "And then hopefully we can all meet up for dinner."

"Not with my luck," Harry said. "Last year when I did detention with Snape it took Dumbledore to come in before he'd let me go."

"You're both just lucky Dumbledore refused to let me take one of the detentions," Jennifer said with a frown. "I was so mad at both of you I could spark fires. Come to think of it, I'm still mad at you."

"We know. It was stupid and we're sorry. We were only trying to help," Harry sighed.

"Just promise me the next time something like this happens you won't take off like that again?" Jennifer said as they got to the gate.

"All right," said Ron. Harry, however, thought long and hard about it for a moment.

"No, I won't promise you that," Harry said at last, "but I will promise that I won't do anything to put you in danger like that again. I'd hate to think what Snape would do to me if I did," he added.

"You still get to find out what Snape is going to do to you about putting her in danger this time," Ron grinned.

"Better that than cleaning incense jars and hearing how often I'm going to die in the next twenty four hours every time I spill ashes on the floor," Harry said as the four of them headed inside.

* * *

The small cabin was definitely much bigger on the inside than the outside. Jennifer looked around appreciatively, admiring the large central fireplace and the large area rugs made in the familiar pattern used in the houserooms at Hogwarts. On the mantle was a curious picture in a frame that Jennifer paused to look at. The elderly couple in the picture didn't move, as if they weren't even aware she was looking at it.

"That's my Grandma and Grandfather. They raised me," Anna explained. "I want to send them a letter, but I'm not sure they'd understand about owls. Well, maybe they would. Dumbledore says that my mother was a witch too, although I don't remember it. I was too young at the time. It explains my nightmares about watching them just disintegrate though. I guess that's what actually happened," Anna said softly.

"Someone used Acidic Eulogy on your parents?" Jennifer said with horror.

"Is that the name of a spell?" Anna asked, "It sounds…painful. What does it do?" Jennifer suddenly realized that maybe this was not the best subject to be on.

"It's a type of death spell. It's just horrible that it happened," Jennifer said quickly. "My mother was murdered as well, a few years ago."

"And Harry's parents were murdered too, weren't they?" Anna said, looking upset. "Why are so many drawn to such a society where so many come to violent ends? What's the point of having magic if you can't do anything to stop it?"

"It hasn't always been like that! Well, I mean, every society has criminals, right? One of ours is Voldemort and we are trying to stop him," Jennifer said, suddenly bristling. "And we will stop him, we have to. Our society might not be perfect, Anna, but it can also be very wonderful too." Anna looked down at the book she was holding.

"I know, I'm sorry. How ironic too that I picked up this book, too. It just shows how far from perfect my own culture is. Still…" Jennifer went over to the bookshelf where Anna was, standing on her toes to look over Anna's shoulder.

"I haven't read that," Jennifer said, and Anna handed over a book entitled _A Tale of Two Cities._

"I've read it many times. We had to read it in school. And then we had to tear it apart in college," Anna snorted to herself, thinking of how annoying her English Professor had been. "It's not a very happy book, though. If you want something better…"

"No, no, I trust your judgment," Jennifer grinned, and suddenly realized that she did. "But if I don't get going soon, my fiancée is going to start worrying, and believe me, that's not a fun picture. Are you going to be all right here?"

"Yes, I think I'm going to read myself. I got a copy of _Hogwarts, A History _I am trying to decipher," Anna said.

"Good grief, people actually read that book? I mean, besides Hermione Granger?" Jennifer chuckled. "Well, if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them."

"You too, if you have any questions about that book," Anna grinned, glad to have something in common with the younger teacher. Jennifer stepped out, waving at her as a large black dog watched curiously from a few feet away.

"Oh, not that dog again," Anna said with irritation. "He just won't go away. Shoo! I can't stand animals!"

"But Anna," Jennifer started to say before the dog growled loudly at her. She glanced at the dog in surprise. So, Sirius didn't want her to know someone was keeping an eye on her? "I'm sure he's…harmless," she finished, studying Sirius with a frown. The dog then settled down in the leaves as if going to go to sleep.

"He didn't sound all that harmless when he growled at you just now. Can't you make him go away?" Anna asked.

"No, I doubt Dumbledore would want me to," Jennifer said thoughtfully. The dog raised his head and wagged his tail a moment. "Just ignore him. I'm sure he'll go away eventually. Good night, Anna. Send me an owl if you need anything," she added, nodding to the horned owl perched patiently in the tree just outside the door. Anna, who seemed about as thrilled about the owl as she was about the dog shut the door. Jennifer shook her head.

"And Muggles think _we're_ odd?" she muttered to herself before Apparating to the gate.

* * *

Sunday morning was dreary and rainy. Jennifer dressed in some of her best clothes, pulling her hair into a tight French braid and putting on her best hat. It was visiting day, and she was actually looking forward to it for a change. Picking up her bundle she headed out the door, glancing at her watch. She stopped in front of a painting of a sleeping dragon, which opened one eye as she approached. She knocked beside the picture, said "Gildenstern," and peeked in as the door slowly opened. Severus was sitting at the long table of his sitting room, pouring over the potion book from the library and making some notes.

"On your way out?" he asked, taking out a letter from his cloak and holding it up. Jennifer went over and took it, putting it in the bundle. "Let him know that I'm sorry I can not come this month…"

"He'll understand," Jennifer assured Severus, leaning over and giving him a quick kiss. "Just don't forget you have detention shift in half an hour."

"Looking forward to it. I sent for an entire barrel of freshly slaughtered newts for the occasion," Severus said with a smirk.

"You're going to make him harvest newts' eyes by hand? That is totally cruel," Jennifer chided him.

"Yes, isn't it?" Severus agreed, a smile creeping onto his face. "But with any luck, he'll be done before the game is over. If not, perhaps I can see you after dinner on the Perch." Jennifer chuckled and nodded, knowing that Severus was referring to the parapet, reachable by a low door on the stairs to the Owlery. It was off limits to students, and a great place to think, or just to look out over the castle walls towards the grounds below. Having reached a rendezvous point, Jennifer headed to Azkaban.

There in the security of the island prison was kept the other man in her life; her father, Thomas Craw, incarcerated for his crimes as the Ivory Skull. But despite a lifetime sentence and a list of cruelty and murderous deeds that made many cower at the mention of his name, Jennifer had little animosity towards her father.

In fact, they seemed to get along a lot better since he was imprisoned than they ever had in normal life. He had never been a kind man, but had always loved his daughter. It was, more than anything else, the knowledge of that love that kept Jennifer from losing sight of his humanity. Little did she suspect it was her mere presence that kept him from losing sight of his own.

She drummed her fingers impatiently as the guards sorted through the bundle, running magic detectors over everything and nosing through letters and newspapers. It was taking a lot longer than normal, and Jennifer was starting to show signs of irritation before they finally let her into the halls with Boltin, an enchanter guard that she'd met before on previous visits. They had to pass through countless security locks before they were finally into the high security section of the prison and into the visitor's room.

Thomas Craw was a tall, grey-eyed man, who under different circumstances might be considered quite intimidating in appearance. But Jennifer couldn't help but notice that prison life didn't agree with him, his hair was thinning and his features were slightly drawn. He was smiling, however, glad to see his daughter healthy and still in one piece.

"Guess what? They actually let me in with Hagrid's cooking today," Jennifer grinned evilly, watching her father grimace.

"Oh. Goodie," he said in a monotone voice that made her chuckle.

"And there are letters from Severus and Harry. Hey, how come you told Severus when my birthday was?" Jennifer scowled.

"I thought he wanted to know when he was only twelve years your elder instead of thirteen…"

"Dad! Do you always have to bring that up?" Jennifer said in annoyance.

"You know, if I had sent you to Hogwarts to go to school, you'd never have ended up with him…" he said, smiling wickedly.

"I know, Dad, and I am grateful for that now. But I did not come to be teased. I came to see you," she scolded then paused. "Amazing how fate seems to jump on our decisions like that, though isn't it? Making things turn out alright despite ourselves."

"My daughter, the amateur philosopher," he grunted. "This from the person who has passed up several opportunities to rid the world of Voldemort. Now he has that slime Pettigrew back. If it hadn't been some quick thinking done by Thatcher Boltin, they'd probably have tried to rid the world of me instead. Jennifer, if you run into Pettigrew out there, I want you to stay away from him. Becoming Voldemort's bootlicker seems to have empowered him of late; he's not the sniveling kid I remember anymore. He has a personal vendetta to get even with you, and I don't think he plans to kill you."

"Oh, gee, thanks, Dad. Now you tell me." Jennifer said with a scowl.

Thomas suddenly put all joking aside and eyed his daughter calculatingly, a disturbingly cold look in his eyes. She motioned to Boltin, handing him the package. Boltin walked through the magic field as if it weren't there and put it on the table. Thomas quickly fished to find Severus' letter, then banged his hand angrily on the table as he read it, causing the guards in the back of the room to whip out their wands in alarm. Boltin, however, motioned for them to wait, having gotten used to Thomas's displays of emotion.

"I knew I should have killed him when I had the chance!" Thomas muttered. Jennifer's eyes went wide, glancing at him and then at the guards. "Eh, what are they going to do to me for saying that? I'm already going to be in here until I wither with age. Jen-girl, that place that Severus didn't mention that they're looking for," Thomas Craw said, looking up into her eyes, cold and serious. "You must not let them find it. If they do, the Mallus wand being destroyed will be totally in vain. _The wand was made there_."

A sudden chill went down Jennifer's back as she realized what that meant. Her first wand, her cursed wand, was the key to several dark magic spells that had been kept secret by her family for five generations. If Voldemort found that place, it was almost certainly possible that he would find what he needed to totally devastate their world, and possibly annihilate the Muggle world all together.

"Jen-girl, there's something else you need to know about this. Mallus Craw may have been the most notorious of Craws, but he did not start this cycle of events you're swept up in right now, it lies much, much, deeper than that. When you find the right Craw in your history, you will find answers. It's your responsibility to do this, Jennifer. You're the youngest Craw, and the last. You need to find out the truth behind why we are who we are." Thomas said, a look of desperate determination in his face.

Jennifer stared at her father, an overwhelming sense of fate taking command inside her as she nodded in acceptance. Suddenly Thomas and Boltin looked behind her, and she turned to see Albus Dumbledore walk in. He smiled warmly at Boltin and Jennifer, then at Thomas.

"Hello, Thomas, it is good to see you. I hope I'm not interrupting," he added, glancing at Jennifer.

"Not at all, Professor. Actually, I really need to get ready for the pre-season game. I have to go referee Quidditch," Jennifer explained, getting up. Her father looked surprised, smiling softly.

"Really? You, Jen-girl? You used to be so petrified of brooms ever since we got to America. I wasn't sure you'd ever get over it." Thomas said, looking impressed.

"Who says I've ever gotten over it?" Jennifer said dryly, waving to them as she headed out the door with Boltin following close behind.

"She's going to find out someday, Dumbledore. I know she is," Thomas said suddenly, as if in the middle of a conversation.

"Oh? Did you ever have any doubts that she would?" Dumbledore asked, sitting down at the table.

"Yes," Thomas admitted, "But you didn't, did you?" he asked, looking across the barrier at the Headmaster. Dumbledore simply smiled at him.


	9. Competitions

Chapter Nine

Competitions

Word spread around the pitch like wildfire and both students and professors alike were excited at the news that a Quidditch scout from the Canadian Sentinels had come to Hogwarts to watch the expedition game…and was, in fact, one of the reasons that the pre-season games were set up in the first place. Madame Rolanda Hooch had quickly pointed out the tall man who was speaking with Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick, but Jennifer really couldn't see much from that distance.

"Are you sure he's a real scout?" Jennifer said suspiciously. "Maybe I should go get a better look at him."

"Quite sure. Minerva was just here speaking about it, saying that he was planning to go to the next two games so he can see all the teams. I think he's mainly got his eye on Finch-Fletchley, but it should be a lot of fun today. I bet the teams will be doing more than their usual best to try and impress him, which will be terribly amusing with so many new players who haven't even had a practice yet," Rolanda said with a grin. "I envy you."

"Well, if you feel that way about it, you can referee today," Jennifer offered.

"No, no, too late for that. Don't worry, Jennifer, you'll be fine. You're a great referee, and I think that maybe you might have gotten slightly better at flying too," she added. Jennifer knew better than that.

"Jennifer?" Minerva came down the corridor, smiling at them broadly. "Isn't this exciting? Good luck out there today! Oh, and after dinner, could you come up to my sitting room? I have something I need you to help me with."

"After dinner? But Minerva, I had plans…"

"What was that?" Minerva said, looking stern. "I thought Dumbledore _distinctly_ told you not to make any plans of any sort for awhile. I did let you off all morning, I might add. I'll see you around seven." Jennifer's shoulders slumped slightly.

"Yes, Minerva, of course I'll be there," Jennifer said, and then Minerva nodded and walked off. Rolanda gave Jennifer a sympathetic look.

"You better go get set up. I'll keep an eye out for Severus for you," Rolanda told her. Jennifer reluctantly went out into the field with her _Eagleflight A.U. _broom in hand. It'd gone through several repairs over the last year but was holding up well considering it had been made for casual flight and did not really have the speed needed for refereeing.

Jennifer found that she could manage quite well by staying within a certain radius of the center, knowing from experience that if she had to force the broom into doing something in an emergency, it would. But Jennifer was not even close to upgrading to a model that wasn't an automatic. She checked carefully over the Quaffle, Bludgers and Snitch to make sure everything was in order, glancing at her watch to see how long she had before the gates opened. It was then she noticed that the third hand on the watch was centered on 'Quidditch Pitch' and Jennifer looked up to see Rolanda pointing her over to near the bottom of the teacher's box. Jennifer hopped on her broom and sped over to where Severus, Pomona, Filius and the scout were talking, quickly getting Severus' attention as the other three looked curiously on.

"I have to go help Minerva with something after dinner," she said, leaning over so only he could hear. Severus scowled with annoyance, putting his hands on his hips.

"They haven't given us any breathing room since we got back," he muttered in irritation. "All right, you'd better get out there. It can't be helped. And no more wild dives!" he added in a louder tone as she started to head back out. He shook his head at her, still remembering how badly she had pushed that broom over its maximum last year. There was only so much even an "uncrashable" broom could do. Turning quickly around, he rejoined the scout and the other professors as they headed up the stairs.

Jennifer got back onto the pitch as the players began to make their flight around the course, speeding in near the boxes even closer than usual as they were announced. Jennifer slid off her broom and stepped in front of the chest, Quaffle in hand as the students took their positions.

"All right, let's not show off too much today, guys," she grinned at the Ravenclaw team and then the Hufflepuff team, making eye contact with Justin. She then released the Snitch and Bludgers, counting softly to herself before releasing the Quaffle into the air. With one eye on the teams she gave the chest its normal shove, slipping on her goggles and soaring into the air.

Justin had quickly gained control over the Quaffle as the Ravenclaw Chasers went after him, veering towards the rings at top speed before suddenly veering up away from the waiting Ravenclaw Keeper, Rudy Loche, who had been protecting the far lower ring, and back-looping to come to position in front of the opposite ring for the goal. Jennifer shook her head at the maneuver and the obviously overdone play. She hovered over towards the other side of the field as Kris Devon flew threw the hoop, nearly knocking Susan off her broom as she tried to defend it. Justin was quick to get the ball back, passing it quickly to him by Eliza Marrer who shot ahead, trying to make the other Chasers think she still had the ball. The ploy worked for a moment, but as soon as the Beaters saw what was going on, two Bludgers sailed across the Pitch making Jennifer dodge as one of them flew passed over her head. Justin spun upside down as the Bludgers sailed passed and were immediately returned by Hufflepuff's own Beaters. Jennifer quickly veered out of the way and got in line to chase Justin to the other side of the Pitch as he tried to shoot the Quaffle through the ring from above. But Rudy had been alert, knocking the ball far downfield, making for another Quaffle scramble.

Jennifer knew it was only a matter of time before the beat down would occur, for Ravenclaw's team was new and inexperienced. There was no sign of the Snitch yet as the totals reached 60 to 20 with Ravenclaw finally getting the ball back in their hands after several upsets. It was as they were reaching the rings that Jennifer caught sight of the Snitch from the corner of the eye going the other way. In fact, it flew fairly close to Julie Brim, who seemed to have missed it! How could she have missed it, Jennifer wondered a moment, then suddenly realized that the girl might have been stalling for more game time. But Mark Lerring, who had realized as the points reached 70-20 that the only way Ravenclaw was going to win was if he got it, wasn't about to pass it up. The Snitch went into a spiral through the center and Lerring sped after it. Hesitating, Julie went to follow behind, trying to focus. The young Seekers knew it was now in their hands, while above them Justin was succeeding to dominate the Quaffle, earning him most the Beaters' brutal attentions. Finally as the Chasers raced once more to the Hufflepuff rings, the Ravenclaw Beaters saw the two Seekers below them and the Bludgers were smacked down towards Julie, who was pulling ahead. One of them hit the back edge of her broom, causing it to spin and nearly knocking into Mark who leaped above her to miss it. With little competition left, Mark quickly got his hand around the Snitch, and the crowd went wild as Jennifer blew the whistle to one of the biggest upsets Hogwarts had seen for awhile. Julie righted her broom and skirted the ground coming to a safe stop, just lucky to have survived her very first Quidditch game without any injuries as the game was called 170-80.

It was as she was putting away equipment after the game that Jennifer finally got her chance to meet the scout. Everyone else was still out in the pitch congratulating the team when he walked into the back, greeting her with a charming smile. Nearly as tall as Severus, Mars 'Pummeler' Jasper was in every other way his opposite in appearance. His crystal blue eyes gazed warmly at her, and his light blonde hair was neatly pulled into a short braid that trailed his back. He was proudly wearing his old Sentinel sweater, not in the least intimidated about everyone knowing what he was doing here at the school.

"I am honored to meet you at last, Professor Jennifer Craw, was it?" he said as he approached with a smile. "I'm Mars Pummeler Jasper…my friends just call me Pummeler. I used to be a Beater for the Sentinels. I hope you don't mind me coming back here. I spoke with Madame Hooch just a moment ago, and she said it would be all right."

"No, it's quite all right," Jennifer smiled. "So, you are here scouting out Justin Finch-Fletchley? Several of us were wondering," she admitted.

"Yes, among one or two others, Jennifer," he said, peering quizzically at her a moment to see if calling her that was all right. "I should be attending most of the games this season in point of fact. Justin definitely has potential. He's quite a Chaser, I'm sure you've noticed."

"Yes, one of the best the school has had in a long time, so I'm told." Jennifer said.

"I was noticing something else as well that I was curious about. You seemed to be having a lot of trouble handling the broom out there. It didn't seem to respond well to you. Quite stiff, as a matter of fact," he hinted, studying her thoughtfully.

"Oh, that," Jennifer said, slightly embarrassed, opening up the closet and taking it out. "Yes, I have an Eagleflight Automatic. I'm not a very good flyer, so my fiancée got me something stable," Jennifer chuckled. "Actually, not very good is probably being lenient on myself, I'm rather intimidated by flying."

"Hm," Pummeler said thoughtfully, walking around her, taking the broom in hand. "I think it's not the flying that's the problem. You probably just have the wrong broom for you. I suggest finding something that will guide you, but with a more sensitive touch so you can get a better handle on it; it's quite obvious that you need a little more control over the situation. And perhaps a broom with a bit more speed? Not too much more, mind you, but just enough so that you don't feel as if you're… hovering. I'm sure I can recommend several good models that would suit you much better," he smiled, handing it back to her.

Suddenly Pummeler looked up and Jennifer followed his gaze to where Severus was standing with his arms folded, leaning on one side of the open gate. Although he looked calm, there was something in his face that told Jennifer that he was far from calm. In fact, he looked quite dangerous.

"Excuse me, am I interrupting?" Severus said, peering quizzically at Pummeler.

"Severus, this is Pummeler Jasper, he's a Quidditch scout. Mr. Jasper, this is my fiancée, Professor Snape, he's the Potions Master here at Hogwarts."

"Ah yes, I've heard of you, Professor Snape…"

"I'm quite sure you have."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Pummeler continued with a smile, holding out his hand. Severus, who had no intention of shaking his hand didn't even bother to nod, eyeing him steadily with unmasked dislike.

"Well, it was at least a pleasure to meet you, Jennifer Craw. I'll be back some other time. You're a very lucky man, Professor Snape," he added with a strained smile.

"Yes, and I plan to stay that way," Severus said in such a viciously cold tone that Jennifer's eyes went wide with surprise.

Clearing his throat, Pummeler nodded and smiled warmly at Jennifer, carefully avoiding the irate professor who didn't take his eyes off the scout until he was well out of range.

"Severus, what's gotten into you? That was totally rude. He was just trying to be nice." Jennifer said, walking over to him. Severus stared at her in surprise.

"You know, for a Truth Seeker you can sure be as blind as a bat in daylight at times, Jennifer. You really have no idea what he was doing back here, do you?"

"Yes, he came back here because he noticed I was having problems with my broom and wanted to help," Jennifer said in annoyance with her hands on her hips. "What in the world is wrong with that?"

"Oh, I'm sure he noticed quite a bit… just as sure as I know it wasn't your flying he was noticing. And by the way, he wasn't talking about your broom, either," Severus scowled, storming out of the gate. Jennifer stood staring after him in complete bewilderment.

* * *

Monday morning, Jennifer finally found some time to try and research some of her family history, hoping also to perhaps track down some more information on the Mallus Craw wand at the same time. Stopping by her office for a notebook, she decided to wander down the back stairs and peek in the door of potions class where first years were having their first look at Severus Snape. He had already started on his 'how to handle ingredients' lecture, when suddenly he turned around and slammed a book on the desk of a student sitting just behind where he was standing, causing Jennifer and the entire class to jump in surprise.

"Did I say to get anything out yet? I didn't give you direction to get anything out, Mr. Brim, put it away immediately until I instruct you to!" he snarled, glaring around at the rest of the students in annoyance. "Now, the next thing you need to learn, after _only_ getting out ingredients and equipment when I tell you, is how to handle ingredients without damaging or mangling them. If you don't plan to even bother doing anything but throwing them into pots without even inspecting them for previous damage you are wasting my time and the school's because you won't ever pass this class. Put your hand down, Mr. Willowby! When I want your opinion on something I will ask for it. Just because you think you can get away with smarting off in other people's classes doesn't mean that I will put up with it in here!" Severus snapped.

Jennifer blinked, wondering if hers was one of the classes he was talking about. Suddenly he noticed her casually watching from the doorway. He quickly attempted to cover up his momentary hesitation by telling them to look over their first set of ingredients lists. She smiled at him and waved before slipping down the hallway, shaking her head with a chuckle. One thing was certain; he probably never had any trouble keeping any students awake. Jennifer wondered what would happen to a student who actually did fall asleep in his class. Not that Severus would actually experiment on a sleeping student, but she would bet that the students probably thought he would.

In the library Jennifer combed the shelves, frowning in frustration at not being able to find any of the books on her list. Finally getting annoyed, she double-checked in the lists to make sure the library had those copies, and then headed up to Madame Pince.

"Irma, can you help me find out who has these particular books out? It seems like every volume I'm looking for is taken and I want to know who all to track down." Jennifer said. The librarian quickly compared Jennifer's list with her own, smiling thinly at her.

"Well, you have only yourself to blame," she said after a moment. "_A History of Dark Wizards, Famous Wandsmiths from the 10__th__ Century to Present _and the first two volumes of _Wizard's Who's Who_ have all been checked out by Miss Hermione Granger."

This was probably the last thing that Jennifer wanted to hear, although she had suspected it. How was it that she knew? Surely even if she had managed to somehow guess that those caverns were there to look for the Tomb, she'd not have been able to make a connection to the wand. And considering Hermione had these books, she probably knew more right now than she did. Jennifer frowned with irritation. Well, she was just going to have to confront her about it. Jennifer's father made it clear that she had to find this before anyone, and the last thing she needed were students getting a jump on it.

Jennifer had seventh year classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so after class the next day she asked Hermione to stay a moment, waiting for the rest of the students to clear out before turning to the girl standing in front of the desk.

"Hermione, I don't want to be insistent about this or anything, but there are some books you just checked out from the library that I need to see," Jennifer said. Hermione looked at her in such a calculating way that Jennifer paused. Hermione knew exactly what books she meant.

"That's funny, Professor, because there's a book that you checked out from the library that I need to see," she said back. "Perhaps we could switch when we are done?" Jennifer frowned at her.

"Hermione, I'm not sure what you've found out, but whatever it is, don't you think you ought to tell me about it?" Jennifer asked.

"That depends. I mean, if you're working on the same thing we are, which if you're looking for the same books, you probably are, why don't we work together on it instead?"

"Sucking up to the teachers again, are we, Granger?" Jennifer and Hermione looked up to see Malfoy and Crabbe come in followed by several of the other seventh year Slytherins for her next class.

"That's quite enough, Draco, just take a seat," Jennifer said, writing a pass for Hermione. "We're talk about this later," she added, handing it to her.

Hermione nodded and left, and Jennifer began to wonder if she ought not tell Severus about all this as well. But when would she have the time? That night she was helping Minerva finish the rest of the year evaluations so that they could situate a couple of the students that passed their missed year, so she seriously doubted she'd be able to find time then.

* * *

Wednesday night was the first meeting of the Sparring Club, and after three weeks of only seeing Severus every now and then at mealtimes, she was looking forward to the time together, even in the presence of forty to fifty students. The students that took dueling last year automatically turned in their wands into the rack, made specifically so only the owners could get back their wands. The first timers and first years Jennifer quickly took in hand, going over the long list of rules with them. Corey, Taylor and Doug were there, along with second year Katie Marrer and several new Slytherin boys including Casper Wyatt and Antonius Deiter. Jennifer was keenly aware that the second years were lopsided towards Slytherin students, however, for none of the students that had missed their first year were allowed to try to test out. That meant that particular class would always have more Slytherin than the rest of the houses, for many of those who would have evened it out had started a year late.

Corey went over to the table as they went to pick out practice wands, sighing as he picked one out.

"Just another thing that needs a wand. I wish I didn't have to use the silly thing," Corey complained, picking out a random wand, not caring one wit if it matched his own weight and length or not.

"Well, since the whole point is to disarm and stop your opponent, it would sort of defeat the purpose if they didn't have to disarm you," Taylor said. "Besides, if it's Flitwick you're worried about, he did say he didn't expect any of us to get it right the first couple days. Give it time."

"True, but you don't know what it's like knowing you can cast a spell without it and not being allowed to. I don't see the point in learning wands at all if I don't need them." Corey complained. Jennifer came up behind them, putting a hand on Corey's shoulder.

"I can think of one good reason. Self-discipline," she said, smiling at Corey. "And believe it or not, I know exactly what you're going through. When I was your age, I could do a _lot_ of things my school wouldn't let me. Instead, I had to learn the ways they did things, and it was definitely not easy for me either. Trust me, Corey, it might be frustrating now, but you'll appreciate it when you get older." Jennifer looked up and Corey noticed her face brighten as Severus Snape walked in. Doug didn't seem so pleased to see him, looking almost grieved.

"Corey, you didn't tell me he was in charge," he whispered loudly, eyeing the Potion Master with dislike.

"Of course, that's one of the reasons I signed up," Corey grinned.

"You know, Corey, you're a lot of fun to hang with and all, but you sure are strange sometimes," Doug told him.

As they took their places in the front of the house lines, Corey soon discovered that he didn't really care for forms; learning just how to place feet and arms to attack and just how to stand and lean during blocks seemed positively pointless to him. But he became quickly alert as Professor Snape came over and firmly nudged his foot and arm in place, telling him to pay attention or go find something else to do. Corey quickly straightened up and finished the exercise, but was glad when the first years were separated from the main group when it came time to learn a dueling spell.

"All right, just say the word with your stances. Later, you'll be able to get in the ring and practice it on each other with a real wand," Jennifer had told them. "Make sure you inflect your voice now. One two three…" The first years all did their stance, saying _Expelliarmus _as they pointed their wands in front of them. Jennifer promptly dropped her wand. As the students chuckled, Jennifer glanced thoughtfully at Corey, who shrugged. Okay, so he hadn't meant to cast, but she was pretty sure that somehow that was what happened. The practice wands might be enough to keep a new student from casting a spell, but in the hands of a Focus Caster, it might as well have been a real wand. Picking her own up again, she asked everyone to try it again, counted to three, and had them do the movement. But this time Jennifer was ready, and quickly blocked the spell as at came in towards her, looking thoughtfully at Corey afterwards.

"All right, Corey, why don't you sit on the bench for a moment until we start sparring?" Jennifer said with a smile. "I'm quite sure now that you know the spell well enough to use it properly."

As the boy went to sit down, Jennifer found herself contemplating if Corey was even going to be able to duel at all. His talent might give him a definite advantage over the other students; would that be fair? Jennifer wasn't sure… she really didn't want to discourage him, but at the same time she couldn't help but wonder if he was ever going to be able to play by the rules with such an irresistible urge to use his remarkable ability. Only time would tell, she supposed, setting up that night's sparring matches.


	10. Saturday Excursion

Chapter Ten

Saturday Excursion

   Jennifer had almost thought she was going to get a Saturday free that next weekend, but at the last moment on Friday evening while she was helping Minerva for some conservative dresses for Anna, Minerva asked her to go to the Alley for a few items that she felt couldn't wait until Monday.  Anna, who was tired of being cooped up in the cabin, asked if she could go along, and Minerva didn't see any reason why not.

  Perhaps if it had been Dumbledore that had been asked, he might have said no and thwarted the events that occurred.  But as it was, Anna was grateful to be able to get away, and Jennifer was more than happy to take her.  It had taken a while to explain floo powder to Anna, and then Jennifer had to give her a long account on how it worked before she ever agreed to try it.  But finally the two of them arrived safe and sound in the Leaky Cauldron.

  "We need to head to Flourish and Blotts first," Jennifer told her as they walked through the smoky bar, waving at several familiar faces.  "That's where most the stuff on Minerva's list is at.  So, you said you've been here before?"

  "A few times by accident," Anna said.  "In fact, nearly every time I've ever come to London I've somehow ended up here.  The first couple of times it was very strange.  I was looking for my brother at that time, but I met a man who had known him and told me my brother was dead.  I guess he must have met the same fate as my Mom and Dad," she said, looking in the shop windows.  "Anyhow, the next time I followed the same man into the Cauldron, that's how I found out how to get there on my own."

  "Who was the man?  Dumbledore?"  Jennifer asked curiously, artfully dodging a rack hats that had been put on display in front of Malkin's as they passed.

  "Oh no, I already knew him.  See, sometimes he'd come and see me when I was little and visit me when my grandparents weren't around, along with my brother.  I used to call him my uncle.  But when I grew older, I didn't see him as much," Anna said.

   "Were you surprised when you found out he was a wizard?" Jennifer asked.

  "Not at all," Anna said after a moment.  "In fact, I think it was when I saw him again that I finally realized that all this was real."

  Jennifer grinned at her as they went into the bookstore.  Anna quickly started absorbing everything in the room, glancing at titles as Jennifer picked up some ledgers, wax, ink, and several books and signed them off to the school, waiting for it to be bundled in a small tight package that seemed to be smaller than all the items bought.

  "Well, that's done, what do you want to see?" Jennifer asked her.  Anna looked up from a book she was looking at with an idea in mind, and idea that before she even said it out loud Jennifer knew was going to be trouble.

  "What I'd really like to do is some shopping in some normal shops." Anna said.  "You know, we're really not all that far from downtown if we take the rail.  Tube, I mean.  We could go to a regular book store too…" Jennifer quickly shushed her, looking around to make sure nobody heard her. 

  "Anna, I don't think Minerva would approve of us going out there," Jennifer protested. Anna looked at her sternly. 

  "What, Jennifer, are you afraid of the Muggle world?"

  "No, no, of course I'm not, it's just…well, I haven't ever been, really, not in years anyhow," Jennifer admitted.

  "Then it's high time, let's go," Anna said, dragging the professor out of the shop.

  "Wait! Wait!  What about our clothes?  And we need Muggle money."

  "No we don't, I have plastic," Anna insisted, heading back towards the Cauldron.

  "Plastic money?"

  "Trust me, just come on." Anna said again.  She was past the point of being argued with, and Jennifer soon realized that trying to argue with Anna was like trying to argue with Severus when he had his back up.  Sighing in resignation she took out her wand, telling her to hold up as she changed her clothes to look similar to Anna's, adding a long coat so that she'd have a place to put her wand.

  "There, how do I look?" Jennifer asked as she caught up.

  "Lose the hat and it'll work," Anna said, tapping Jennifer's wide brimmed hat.  Jennifer transformed her hat into a flowered barrette and followed Anna through the Cauldron, still thinking this was a bad idea.

    "Now we have to be really careful," Jennifer reminded her for the tenth time as they got onto to the train.  Jennifer was immediately puzzled as they entered.  Why in the world were so many people standing up?

  "Would you calm down?"  Anna said with a grin.  "Nothing is going to happen.  You'd better hold on to the pole, Jennifer, or you're going to go flying."  Jennifer suddenly clutched the pole in front of her.  Anna shook her head at her.

  "I didn't mean literally."

  "Oh." Jennifer said, relaxing her grip a bit.  They stepped off and up some stairs into a busy square.

  "See? This isn't bad, is it?" Anna said as Jennifer craned her head around.  "Come on, let's go to the ATM, then I need to use a phone real quick."

  "Eighty what?" Jennifer asked, as they walked over to one of the walls of the buildings where there was a glass picture.  Jennifer watched in amazement as Anna put a card in it and pushed on the numbers, glancing at numbers on the screen.  "Can I ask you what this is?" Jennifer whispered, trying not to draw attention.

  "It's a bank, sort of." Anna grinned at her.

  "_That_ is a bank?" Jennifer said skeptically.

  "Yep," Anna answered, folding some paper money back in her wallet.  "Okay, let's head over there…" she said, pointing at a small red box by a small restaurant of some sort.  "How about we order a pizza and then I can call my grandparents and let them know I'm all right?  You've had pizza before, right?"

  "Sure, they used to serve it in the school I attended in Pittsburgh," Jennifer said as they walked across the square.  Anna looked at her blankly.

  "There's a magic school in Pittsburgh?" Anna's lip twitched.

  "Yeah, Whitebridge.  Not a very big one though," Jennifer admitted. 

  "I'll buy that," Anna said.  Anna found them a table outside and ordered the pizza and some drinks and headed off to the small box.  As Jennifer watched curiously, the waiter brought out some iced black liquid to the table and sat one down in front of her.  Thanking him, she quickly turned back to look at Anna, who was busy holding a strange contraption to her ear and wasn't paying attention to her.  Jennifer peered around to the other tables and saw others, some with small kids, drinking the substance with no ill effect, so she decided it might be all right.  Carefully she dipped the tip of one finger in the bubbling foam, cautiously tasting it on her lip.

  "Jennifer!"

  Jennifer nearly jumped out of her seat in surprise, nearly knocking over the table.  She would have spilled the drink had Sirius not caught it, coming up from behind her.  He was dressed in a t-shirt, jeans and a black jacket, looking fairly comfortable in the Muggle environment and yet not really all that different than normal.  He also looked quite concerned to see her.

  "What are you doing out here?  Where's Anna?"  Sirius demanded with a frown.

  "She's in the box…" Jennifer said, pointing.

  "Oh, that, that's a telephone.  She must have wanted to call her grandparents."

  "That's what she said," Jennifer agreed.  "But what did she mean?"

   "Jennifer, you're a total fish out of water here.  You really should try and get her back, or you're going to end up getting into trouble," Sirius warned her.

  "But, she's so insistent.  And she feels the same way back where we're at, so what's the harm in…"

  "Look, I think she's getting ready to get off the phone, so I'm going to go.  If you need me, just holler.  I'll be nearby."  Sirius said.  "Try to get back as soon as you can.  And whatever you do, don't do anything that's going to get you another fine."

  "How do you know about that?"  Jennifer asked with irritation but Sirius waved and disappeared around a corner.   It was a moment later that the pizza arrived, and Anna quickly came out and joined her.

  "Sorry that took so long.  I had to let my grandparents know I was all right."

  "Is this drink…safe?"  Jennifer asked.

  "Oh come on, you've had pizza but you haven't had a Coke?" Anna said grinning at her.

  "They didn't serve anything like this in school," Jennifer assured her.  Anna took a sip and Jennifer followed, coughing slightly at first.  Anna laughed at her.

  "Well?"

  "It's interesting.  Muggles drink this all the time?" Jennifer asked, but Anna hushed her.

  "Say people, Londoners, city folk, anything, but don't say that," Anna chuckled.  Jennifer suddenly realized there was nothing but ice in her cup, but after a moment the same man who brought one came out with a pitcher and filled it up.  Jennifer leaned over to Anna.

  "He's a little big for a House Elf isn't he?"  Jennifer asked.

  "City folk don't have House Elves," Anna told her, taking a piece of pizza.  Jennifer, who was realizing this was a bit more than she could handle at one time, stirred the soda with the straw.

  "After we eat, we should go back before they worry," Jennifer said, watching the bubbles dissipate.  "Hey, what's the formula for this, anyhow?"

  "What, already?  We just got here!  I need to get a few things for the cabin or I'm going to go insane."  Jennifer found herself being quickly dragged off again after they ate, entering a series of shops that Jennifer didn't recognize half the things in them.  One of them was blaring loud sounds that Anna told her was music, where she bought a large box, a bunch of small cylinders, and some small flat boxes.

  "Okay, now we can go," Anna said as they heaved two large sacks out of the shop.  It was then that Jennifer noticed the bookstore and paused a moment.  It was across a busy street with Muggle cars crossing it and honking horns, and Jennifer reasonably decided to forget it.  Anna, however, had noticed it just after Jennifer did and began to drag her in that direction.

   "Hey, wait! I thought you said we could go!"  Jennifer protested.

  "Not without getting you a book!" Anna said, punching a button on a pole.

  "What happens now?"  Jennifer asked.  Several of the people on the corner with them gave her a strange look.

  "Now…we cross," Anna said, and they hurried across the street and into the bookstore just as the cars started speeding back across where their feet had just touched.

  "That's a pretty neat sp…er, trick, er, whatever it is," Jennifer said.

  "Sssh!  Jennifer, come on," Anna said heading further in the store, reading the titles of some of the magazines and newspapers along the side, picking a few up.  Jennifer slowly wandered about until she noticed a volume of Shakespeare and found her way to the classic section, puzzling over the books.  Noticing the name Dickens, she picked one out then went back over to Anna.

  "Nobody dies at the end of this one, I hope?"  Jennifer asked.  Anna chuckled.

  "Yes, but it has a happy ending," Anna assured her, putting the copy of _Oliver Twist_ on the counter.  As Anna was paying for the books, a couple of men came in, looking around the shop thoughtfully then walked over to the counter.

  "Excuse me, have any of you seen this man today?" One of them asked, holding up a picture.  Jennifer recognized him at once, even though in the picture he looked sickly and pale.  It was a picture of Sirius Black.  Jennifer was caught in surprise, and the second investigator, which in fact they were, seemed to be watching her carefully.

   "I haven't seen him," said the shopkeeper.

   "That's Sirius Black, isn't it?" Anna said after a moment.  "I've seen that picture before."

  "That's right, a very dangerous criminal.  He's wanted on several counts of murder.  We had a tip today that he'd been seen in this area, talking to a woman…matching your description," the second man said, looking at Jennifer.  Anna stared at Jennifer.  So did several other people in the shop.

  "I'm quite sure I don't know what you mean.  I don't know anyone who looks quite like that," Jennifer said.  "Besides, I thought I read in the papers somewhere that he was acquitted."

  "Only if you read the Sun, Miss.  Are you sure you have never seen this man, or talked to anyone close to his description?" asked the first, showing her the picture again. 

  "No," Jennifer shrugged.

  "Either of you didn't happen to order pizza today under the name of Anna Hayes?  We're told by the restaurant personnel that the woman he was seen with was at the table which had the order under the name Anna Hayes."

  Anna stared at Jennifer.  Jennifer looked back at Anna wondering what to do next.  Anna quickly covered up the credit card she had on the table, whisking it into her wallet.

  "Look!  There he is!" The clerk suddenly shouted pointing at the door.  Sirius was standing in it, waiting long enough for the two officers to turn around before taking off.   The two officers then pelted out the door.

  "Don't just stand there, let's get out of here!"  Anna said, grabbing Jennifer's arm and the bag and heading out the door. 

  As the two men headed down the street, one of them happened to stop and look around as Anna and Jennifer took off in the other direction.

  "Mike, the girls are getting away!"

  "Just radio backup, stupid, it's Black we're really after, com'on!"  Mike yelled back as he chased Sirius down an alley.  He drew out his weapon and looked around the corner.  There was nothing moving.

  "You'd better come out with your hands up, Black!" Mike said, in a tone that wasn't completely convincing.  "Give yourself up while you still have the option!"  The partner caught up, peering out from behind the other man.

  "He's not coming out, Mike."

  "I can see that, Scott," Mike muttered, slowly heading in.  Reaching some garbage cans, Mike suddenly shoved them over and stood back, but the only thing that came out was a wild-eyed stray cat, which took off down the alley.  Then they heard barking and got out of the way as they high-tailed it out, followed by a big black dog, barking all the way.  They were too busy peering up the alley to notice that the dog didn't follow the cat out into the street, but instead veered to the side and ran down the sidewalk.  Back in the alley the two officers searched it thoroughly, but there was no sign of Black.  It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

  As Jennifer and Anna headed down the street, it wasn't long before Jennifer started protesting that they had to stop.

  "These bulky packages have to go, Anna.  I can't run with this.  We need a fireplace," Jennifer insisted.

  "Well, we can't go in every shop looking for one.  Besides, I doubt just anyone's going to let us step in their fireplace.  Look, there's a park up the street.  We can find some place to stash our stuff there maybe," Anna suggested.  They crossed another busy street, making Jennifer all the more nervous, then they headed towards the center of the park where Anna had spotted a small public bathroom, ignoring several looks as they went in together.  Anna locked them in, looking around the small stall.  "Leave the stuff here, maybe?"

  "No, I got it," Jennifer said, pulling out her wand and dropping the packages on the floor.  "_Minimize!_"  The items were enveloped in a flash of light then reduced to a size that Jennifer could stick them in her pockets.  "Okay, now we need to find a way to get out of here."

  "Can't you just pop out?"

  "I'm not leaving without you," Jennifer said.  Suddenly there was a knock.

  "You all right in there?  I thought I saw a large flash of light!" A muffled voice said.

  "Uh…just a camera going off!  Sorry!" Anna said, knowing very well the light had been much larger than that.  The man wandered off muttering something about 'tourists.'  "How about another change of clothes?"

  "I can do it, but if we get caught in them how do we explain it?" Jennifer asked.

  "Then we just don't get caught.  Come on, Jennifer."  Anna insisted, giving her an idea of what to make.  Jennifer listened in annoyance and then sighed.  She'd already risked one spell; another to the mix wasn't going to matter now.  Quickly she made them up in blue jeans, t-shirts, and college jackets, throwing their hair into tails.  "It's far from perfect, but it'll have to do.  Let's go."  They walked out receiving odd stares from an elderly couple sitting on a bench nearby who had seen them go in, whispering to each other. 

  As Anna and Jennifer headed towards the exit closest to the square, a large black dog ran up to them, being followed by a man with a strange pole and leash wearing a grey uniform.

  "That looks like Jake!  You know, the dog that hangs out by the cabin…"

  "Imagine that," said Jennifer as the dog jumped up on her.

  "Is he someone's familiar?"  Anna asked.

  "Hey, Miss, is that your dog?  He can't be running around London without a collar or leash," the control officer said.

  "We're sorry, he got away from us," Anna blurted out as Jennifer knelt down.

  "We'll put one on him right now," Jennifer said, fumbling in her pockets for something to transfigure.  "What in heck would it look like, anyhow," she muttered to Anna.

  "Like a rope attached to a collar," Anna said in annoyance then Jennifer pulled out just that.  "Not that kind of rope," Anna hissed glancing at the coarse utility rope.

  "Well I can't do anything about it now, I've already pulled it out," Jennifer hissed back as she tried to get it on him.

  "Do you have a license for that animal?"  The man asked, walking up.  Jennifer knew she had no hope in copying anything like that without having something to copy.

  "Uh, no sir," Jennifer admitted, glancing around.

  "I'll have to write you a citation for that then," the man said, taking out a small pad.  "Name and address?"

  Suddenly the dog jumped up and tackled the man, leaping over him and speeding away with Anna and Jennifer right behind, shooting off across the street with cars honking in their wake.  As they headed around the corner towards the rail station, they ran head first into Mike and Scott, and after recovering ran into the busy crowd.

  "I think that was them!"  Scott said.

  "Can't be!  How did they change clothes that fast?"

  "I'm telling you, it's them!"  Scott said, taking out his radio.

  The dog stopped at the top of the stairway as Anna and Jennifer hurried down.  Anna then stopped and pulled Jennifer back, making her nearly trip down the rest of the stairs.

  "What's wrong?"

  "Look at the lines going in.  There's officers on either side, probably looking for us."

  "Looking for an exit?"

   There was a loud noise, and Jennifer hurried back up to see a man wearing a visor helmet sitting on a motorcycle, waving them up expectantly.

  "Come on, Anna, get on," said the man, offering her a helmet.  "Come on, before they see you."

  "Get on, Anna, Sirius can get you home," Jennifer agreed.  "Hurry up, it's the only way!"

  "I'm not getting on that thing with him!" Anna said flatly.  "He's…he's a murderer!"

  "No he's not, they're totally Muggled out.  He was acquitted two years ago, why they don't know I have no…"

  "Not now!  Later!  Get on!" Sirius snapped.

  "It's Sirius Black!" warned on of the officers.

  "FREEZE!"  Someone yelled out.  Jennifer spun around instinctually whipping her wand out to block a spell…that never came.  Realizing her mistake, Jennifer knew it was too late to do anything about it now.  The only thing that was important was getting them out of there in one piece.

  "_Fumble!_" she said, pointing at the officer who had shouted.  The secret service agent dropped his gun.  Leaning over to get it he tripped over his feet, as people in the square backed up, eying them warily as the others with him tried to help him up.

  "Don't just stand there, get her out of here!" Jennifer snapped, and Sirius grabbed Anna and tossed her in front of him before she could try to protest.

  There were too many people here to memory erase for one person, and Jennifer knew it, the best she could do was to Apparate out and hope she didn't lose her job.  But before she could make that final move she felt a spell hit her full force, and felt her body settle in place, knowing that someone had cast the earth bind spell on her to keep her from leaving.  Spinning around to meet this new threat, Jennifer saw a man she had only seen pictures of, but was certain, quite certain, it was who she thought it was.

  It was Cornelius Fudge.

  A shot rang out behind her, and Jennifer turned to see a special agent had shot himself in the foot, and several other officers went over to aid him.  Fudge had not moved, watching her carefully, and Jennifer, feeling like she was stuck between her world and one she had no business being in, dove into the crowd of very excited people hoping to lose herself in the commotion.

  Jennifer had little choice but to run or cast at this point, and a large part of her reasoned to keep as much of the magic exposure as she could to a minimum.  At the same time, she kept peering into shops, hoping to find a way out.  Suddenly she saw the two men again and picked up her pace, finally noticing something across the street with a familiarity to it, and a painted window that read "Batchim's Occult Book Store."  Forgetting all about anything but trying to get across, Jennifer pelted across the street, only to hear the sound of screeching brakes and horns.  She stopped dead in her tracks in surprise, but someone came up from behind her, pushing her across the road to the opposite side where they both hit the concrete hard.

  "Here now, Professor, what were you thinking of trying to cross the street like that?  You might have been killed and me along with you," said the Muggle, surveying his bruised arms.

  "Mr. Willowby?"  Jennifer said in complete surprise.  "What are you doing here?"

  "Trying to get a drink after a hard day's errand running, but seems like you had other plans for me," Charles said, slowly getting to his feet and helping her up.  "Now then, mind telling me what this is all about?"

  "I…I'm in trouble.  I was with some friends, we got separated, and there are some men after me, police or something, and I need to get home."

  "Sounds to me where you need to be going is to the police station," Mr. Willowby said sternly.  "To turn yourself in."

  "No, you don't understand.  I didn't do anything wrong, they just think I know someone…"

  "Well, if you haven't done anything wrong, it's all the more reason not to run.  Come on," he said, putting an arm around her and leading her down the street.  "I know what it's like, I was in trouble enough when I was younger.  You'll find it'll all work out all right if you just stop running."

  "Mr. Willowby, you don't understand…"

  "That's all right, I'll speak up for who you are.  Get in the car, Professor, it'll be for the best," he insisted, opening the door for her.  Jennifer cautiously got into the car, afraid to touch anything, watching as Charles got in the other side.  He started up the car and told her to fasten her seatbelt, showing her how it worked.  Jennifer watched the car move out, not really enjoying her first ride in an automobile too much.  They didn't seem to go very fast, and it always seemed like they were stopping for some reason.

  "I saw there was some excitement in the square when I passed a few minutes ago.  Something about a some man shooting his foot after he saw a lady sparking blue lights or something." Charles said casually, looking at her sidewise.  "I expect you must have been pretty startled to have done something like that in a crowd, being as I've never heard it happen before.  You all right?"

  "Yeah, I'm all right now," Jennifer said slowly.  "But I don't think this is a good idea, turning myself in.  I know they'll just notice something strange."

  "Stranger than a lady with sparkling blue lights coming out of her hand?"  Charles asked.  "Damage is done, now it's high time to minimize it.  You say you didn't do anything, and I believe ya.  But I can guarantee that nobody else is going to believe ya if you keep running.  Running is for guilty folks, not honest folks," he said, pulling into a parking lot.

  "You may be thinking right now those officers are your enemies, but they're there because they want to help people, not hurt them.  Some of my best friends are police officers.  One of them used to summer near the bluffs when I was growing up and goes to the same pub I do," he winked, turning off the car and getting out.

  Inside the station, they were more than a little startled to see Charles Willowby coming in with his arm around strange girl, and even more startled to find out that she was one of the women that officers were now combing the square for.  They had her empty her pockets (which contained the 'leash', a pen, her letter opener, three tiny bags and a tiny wrapped parcel and some folded plain-looking paper) and asked her to sit down.  Charles sat down beside her with his hat in his lap, waving occasionally as a new officer came in.  One of them that Charles called Sarge sat at the desk before them, holding one of those phone things to his ear, talking to someone before hanging it up and looking over to them.

  "You say you have no license or passport?" he asked pleasantly.

  "No, sir," Jennifer said.

  "Her name's Miss Jennifer Craw, right enough, Sarge.  She's my neighbor.  Lives up at the end of Cliff Drive."

  "I thought that was the old Pince-Mure place.  Thought it was abandoned," he said, more out of curiosity than not believing him.

  "Just the same, she was there.  She had my boy Corey doing chores for her over the summer," he said with a grin.

  "Oh, now that is surprising," Sarge chuckled.  "And you thought he'd never amount to anything."

  "Now, I never did say that, Sarge, never did, only said he'd lot to learn, and so he does, doesn't he, Miss Craw?" Charles said.  Jennifer nodded, then smiled unsurely.  Just then two agents came in, pointing at her.

  "That's her, that's the one who was talking to Sirius Black.  Where did he go?"  They demanded getting up beside her.

  "I want to know what exactly you did to Agent Edison to make him drop his gun," Scott shouted at her.

  "All right, boys, settle down," the Sarge said with a frown.  "Don't forget I'm still in charge here, it's my district.  Besides, anyone carrying a gun deserves what they get, I don't care who you think you are.  Charlie's owning up to her, so I'm sure this is all some sort of misunderstanding.  Miss Craw, do you happen to know Sirius Black?"  Jennifer looked over at Charles Willowby, then back at Sarge.

  "Yes, sir.  I know him.  But he was acquitted two years ago.  A man by the name of Pettigrew was responsible for the murders, not him."

  "Hey, don't we have a recent bulletin on that name?  Thought it was on the Special list," The Sarge said thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair, pointing at someone to get him a copy of the latest Special Services wanted list.  "Martha, patch me in to the Specials, I want to talk to them."

  "Is this all she had in her pocket?" Mike asked, looking at a tray.  "Witnesses say she was waving a stick around when the funny lights went off."

  The Sarge, who had the phone between his ear and his chin waiting for the connection, gave Mike a strange look.

  "Go get a cup of coffee.  You sound like you need a break," he said, glaring at the other man, "In the meantime, I'll be calling your bosses after this and you'd better hope I don't mention the fact that you pulled a gun out in public in a crowd of people," he added coldly.  Scott grabbed the other man's shoulder whispering to him, coaxing him to head to the coffee tank as the Sarge started muttering something about waving sticks around.  "Damn secret service and their g… hello, Special Services?  I got a girl here turned in as a suspect to being a party to Sirius Black and was causing a bit of a stir up here earlier, but she's saying he was acquitted or something.  Apparently the Secrets were trying to question her.  Oh, he was?  Yeah…yep.  Yeah, I know how that goes.  Gotta love bureaucracy.  Uh huh.  Miss Jennifer Craw.  Sure, I'll hold."  The Sarge smiled at her, pulling the phone away.

  "Yer right, Miss Craw, guess they forgot to update him off the list…hello?" he suddenly became interested in the phone again.  Jennifer, who didn't hear him talking to anyone, looked at the device suspiciously, trying to figure out what made it tick.  She felt a tug on her shoulder, and Charles smiled at her.  She leaned back and tried to relax.  "Oh, you will?  Sure, I'll keep her here.  Yep.  Thank you too."  He hung up the phone and got up.  "Special Services is sending someone down to take you home, Miss Craw, they want to talk to you about what happened so they can file a report in case you want to sue or anything," he explained.  "Pretty routine.  Martha, why don't you get them some coffee or tea or something, I'm going to go talk to Scott and Mike and try to get them out of our wigs."

  As the junior dispatcher handed them their coffee, Charles looked over at Craw with a knowing smile.

  "You see?  I told you it would all work out," he smiled.  "Isn't that a sight better than running about afraid and feeling like you're in trouble?"  But Jennifer didn't feel all that much better or any more out of trouble when she looked behind him in time to notice Arthur Weasley walk in the door.  In fact, she began to wonder if her trouble hadn't just begun.


	11. Anna

Chapter Eleven

Anna

  The Minister of Magic made quick eye contact with Jennifer, giving her a reassuring smile.  There was something else there too, some stress and strain, she thought, as he worried about covering up what happened in the square.  Apparently the Ministry had already gotten word that a spell had been cast in a Muggle crowd.  Jennifer sighed, wondering what the fine would be this time…wondering what the board would say.  She couldn't believe how quickly things got out of control out there.  Arthur was dressed in a nice business suit and wore a badge, somewhat similar to what some of the others were wearing around the station.  An officer came up and he introduced himself as Lt. Weasley, and asked to speak to the sergeant.  A moment later, Sgt. Brommel came out, spoke with him for a few moments, and then they walked over to the desk.

  "All right, Miss Craw, Lt. Weasley here is going to see you back.  We're very sorry about the inconvenience," he added, offering his hand.  Jennifer shook it with a smile and he excused himself.

  "Well, it seems everything's all worked out," Mr. Willowby said, getting up.  "I think I'll say hello to some of the boys before I head to the pub now that you're safe and sound, Professor."

  "We can't even begin to thank you enough for looking after Professor Craw, Mr. Willowby," Arthur said, offering his hand.  Charles shook it with a smile.

  "Not at all.  I'd do the same for anyone, let alone a neighbor," Charles assured him, then turned back to Jennifer.  "Tell Corey I said hi when you get back, Professor, and ask him to write."

  "I will," Jennifer promised, and the sheep farmer walked over to the break room.  "That is, if I still have a job?" she said, peering quizzically at Arthur.

  "As far as I'm concerned, this was our fault, not yours, Jennifer," Arthur said fervently, "Although I must say you sure can make for a nasty mess to clean up after.  Follow me," he said, going over to what reminded Jennifer of a Room lift.  They got in the elevator, and he waited for the door to close before taking her in hand, grabbing the port key in his pocket.

  They appeared in the entrance hall of the Ministry building, and Jennifer heard herself exhaling with immense relief at being back in an office that made sense.  The receptionist looked up and waved as they entered, while a couple others stood around looking amused at their clothing.

  "Has Dumbledore arrived yet, Penelope?" Arthur asked the receptionist.

  "No, Minister Weasley."

  "Well, send him on back then.  I need to speak with Professor Craw a moment.  Let me know when Thurspire gets back too," he added as they passed by.  They turned into a long hallway and Jennifer looked around curiously, never having been this far into the Ministry before.  At the end of the hallway was a heavy, polished oak door with a handle carved to look like a dragon tail.  Arthur let Jennifer into the office, getting a heads up from the secretary, who, Jennifer suddenly realized, was a faun, wearing a tailored coat and a kilt, partially covering his goat legs.  A pair of gold-rimmed spectacles set on his brown locks just below small pointed horns, giving him a most scholarly look.

  "Chester, send Dumbledore in when he arrives and hold all messages, visitors and so forth for a few minutes."

  "But sir, Mrs. Weasley was on the shells earlier.  She wants to know how late you'll be working."

  "I have no idea," Arthur grunted.  "Tell her not to wait up if she shells again."  He opened up another door and Jennifer was instantly amazed.  The office's ceiling reached three stories in height, with one side of it fixed with rails and ladders and tons of books.  The opposite wall displayed several maps, and as Jennifer looked closer, she could notice that things were moving on all of them, tiny flags, pins and words adjusted themselves as they moved along them, and Jennifer couldn't help but go over to take a better look at the bigger one of the isles.

  "That's the tracer map.  There's several more just like it in other offices," he said, closing the door and heading over to his desk.  The desk sat in front of long windows that took up the length of the third wall, looking out into the city.  The perspective seemed to be from high up, although Jennifer knew she had not climbed any stairs.  She suddenly realized that the door to the office was actually not a normal door at all, but rather a type of portal.  Unwanted guests were probably taken to a different floor altogether, or perhaps out into the street.  Jennifer sat down, looking at Mr. Weasley.

  In many ways, the desk looked much bigger than the man himself; a red-headed, older, fatherly man, who much preferred the comfort of his cozy, cluttered home as opposed to the splendor of his regal office.  At the same time, Jennifer knew that his laid back appearance was deceiving, for the new Minister was probably the most trustworthy wizard to have gained that position in generations.  Jennifer at least, could think of no one better for the job.

  At Arthur's request Jennifer gave a full account of all the events, going back over them in detail when he asked, especially wanting detail of what spell she cast, when, and who was around at the time.  He was most interested (and concerned) about the fumble spell, nodding sharply as she explained what happened.

  "I don't understand why they said freeze like that, but by the time I figured out it wasn't meant as anything but a word, it was too late.  I was going to Obliviate him, but there were too many people around, and decided I was going to just Disapparate, but then that's when I got hit with the earth bind."

  "Did you see the wizard who did it?"  Arthur asked, rubbing his temples thoughtfully.

  "Yes, but you're not going to believe who it was," Jennifer said, causing him to stop and raise an eyebrow at her.  "It…it was Cornelius Fudge.  I'm quite sure it was."  Arthur stared at her.

  "That's impossible."

  "Impossible or no, it was Fudge.  He looked straight at me, I'd met him once when he was still in office."

  "It must have been an imposter."

  "It wasn't.  I would have seen through it," Jennifer insisted.  "I don't know why he was there, or why he did what he did, but he was there."  Arthur looked at her thoughtfully.

  "Jennifer, if you say he was there, then I must believe he was there.  But the man has been missing for two years.  It's strange that he'd appear now out of nowhere, and casting a spell in the middle of Muggles like that.  Just not like him."

  Just then there was a soft knock and Dumbledore entered, Arthur getting up to greet him.  Jennifer stood as well, looking at his face carefully.  Dumbledore turned to her and smiled slightly.

   "Ah, there is my wayward professor.  Good afternoon, Arthur," he said, walking over to the desk, "I see you have matters well in hand."

  "I'm not so sure of that, Dumbledore.  Jennifer just told me that she saw Cornelius Fudge during that mess down there."

  "Yes, I'm quite sure she did," Dumbledore said, sitting down calmly.  "In fact, he tried to kill her."  It was Jennifer's turn to be surprised, looking around at the Headmaster in complete bewilderment.  "Twice, as a matter of fact.  When the spell didn't take the first time, he compelled the agent next to her to shoot her.  Fortunately, that agent still had the effects of the fumble spell on him and ended up shooting his foot instead."

  "The Fudge I knew would never do anything like that!  What reason would he have to kill Professor Craw anyhow?  Fudge didn't even know her."

  "The Fudge you knew doesn't exist anymore, Arthur.  I'd say it's safe to say he is long gone.  He had already begun to stray down the path when I had first met him…he was a good man, once.  But whatever has happened to him in the last few years has changed all that, and I fear it's a change that can never be reversed.  I'm afraid, however, I cannot offer you any concrete evidence on what he had just tried to do," Dumbledore said somberly.

  "Damn. I hate it when you tell me what really happened when I can't do anything about it," Arthur grumbled.

  "You need to know, Arthur.  I have a feeling this will not be the last time we see Cornelius Fudge, and we need to be prepared for anything when he officially 'reappears.'"

   "But why would Fudge want me dead in the first place?" Jennifer said with irritation.  The last thing she needed right now was someone _else_ wanting her dead.

  "For that, I think we can look at the last person who we know was taking orders from when he left," Dumbledore said.  Jennifer and Arthur looked at each other, and answered at once.

  "Lucius Malfoy."

  As Jennifer and Dumbledore left the office and down the hall, Jennifer finally got the nerve to ask Dumbledore the question that had been bugging her.

  "Dumbledore, just how did you know that Fudge tried to kill me?  I didn't notice him casting any spell but bind," she asked.  Dumbledore smiled.

  "Anna told me," he said.  "More or less, at any rate.  She told me what she experienced and I was able to discern from that what had happened, and who it was from her description..."

  "But Anna had left with Sirius before that.  I sent her with him on his motorcycle to get her out of there," Jennifer said.

  "Well, yes, but part of her didn't go, part of her was worried about you.  You see, Jennifer, the spell had 'no effect' on you because the spell, in essence, never made it to you.  Instead, it hit an energy barrier; in some ways, much like the barriers you're used to dealing with at Azkaban, where some things and people can pass through and some cannot."

  "Is that what happened in the caverns with Harry?  The glow was this energy barrier?"  Jennifer asked.  Dumbledore nodded.

  "Yes…the glow and even the barrier itself is somewhat of a side effect of two differing magics trying to take up the same space.  In this case, spirit magic, or fae magic, or wild magic, whichever you prefer, clashing with focused magic, which is what we as wizards and witches use."

  "So what you're saying is, instead of being able to use magic, she is magic? Like Unicorns, or Centaurs, or Faerie?  And if she's able to be there, in spirit form…I guess that'd make her, an Aethermage."  Jennifer nearly whispered in disbelief.  Aethermages were a type of witch or wizard that had the ability to manipulate energy into different forms, transformation at its purist level.  They could even project their own energy out of their own bodies, it was said.  But there hadn't been any Aethermages for a very long time, not for nearly two hundred years.

  "Do you know why Aethermages are so rare, Jennifer?"  Dumbledore asked as they Apparated to the Forest, walking towards the cabin.  Jennifer shook her head.  "It's because there is a very special set of circumstances that need to happen for it to occur.  You have to have faerie blood in you obviously; else that type of magic couldn't stay in you too long.  You'd have to have had no exposure to wizardry magic because being taught one would drown the other out, except perhaps provide an extra boost of power in times of need.  And something would have had to happen to you so traumatic or significant that the magic inside you takes over in an effort of survival.

  "All three of these events happened to Anna.  When her parents died, and it had been determined that she was the non magic sort, her mother's parents took her in to raise her, not wanting to expose her to that which they blamed for her mother's death.  Her father's side of the family was of old family blood, and many faerie connections there.  Her mother also had faerie blood in her, which had not surfaced for some years.  But this piece of the puzzle I do not know, although I have several suspicions; I do not know what caused the magic to awaken so suddenly about five years ago.  If it is tied to Voldemort or something else I cannot say.  Perhaps that is a question only she can answer.  Now that you know, I think you can see why I have decided to bring her here, so she can have a chance to explore these newly found talents of hers and learn to use them without endangering herself or others in the process."

  "Dumbledore, Anna mentioned she had a brother to me once.  What happened to him?  He didn't go with the Muggles I take it?"  Dumbledore smiled.

  "No, indeed.  You see, he had already started Hogwarts by then.  He was a very, very talented boy but very troubled, as you can imagine, by the death of his father and his stepmother, and his future had many twists and turns in it.  But, you know, that's a story I won't tell you, I think.  Others can do that better than I can," he said, walking up to the cabin and knocking on the door.  He paused to smile at the dog lying by the door.  "Threw you out again, did she?" Dumbledore asked.   The dog put a paw over his eyes, and Jennifer couldn't help but chuckle.  Just then the door popped open.

  "Jennifer!  You're all right!"  Anna said with relief, letting them in.  "I was a bit worried about you after that wizard tried to kill you.   How did they find you?"

  "Actually, a student's Muggle father found me," Jennifer said.  "Saved my life, too.  Those Muggle vehicles are dangerous, aren't they?  Anyhow, he made me turn myself in."

  "What?  You mean you got arrested?" Anna said, blinking at her.

  "Well, it wasn't as bad as all that, they just called someone…the Ministry I guess, because then the Minister of Magic came and got me, then Dumbledore brought me home."

  "How much trouble did you get into?" Anna whispered to her.

  "None as of yet," Dumbledore said warningly, "but I had better not hear of anything like this happening again.  I've already spoken to Anna about dragging you off like that, Jennifer, but if she tries to do it again, you may use any means necessary to stop it."  Jennifer grinned at him, hearing the teasing tone in the last statement.

  "My only regret is not acquiring the formula for that black bubbly drink."  Jennifer said, pulling the packages out of her pocket, and setting them down on the floor, making them turn into their normal size.

  "It's called Coca-Cola," Anna said with a grin, "And nobody but the company that makes it knows the formula, it's a secret."

  "How come every time I find a formula I like it's always a secret?"  Jennifer asked, hands on her hips.

  "Well, I think I should let you two talk for a little while longer," Dumbledore said, glancing at the packages.  "I will take this package to Minerva and let your fiancée know that you're safe.  Oh, and feel free to take tomorrow off of your extra duties, Jennifer.  You've had enough excitement for one weekend, and I think, if I'm not mistaken, there's even more still to come," he smiled. "Good night," he said, and stepped out the door.

  "I wonder what he meant by that?"  Anna asked.

  "Don't bother asking.  Dumbledore is always saying stuff like that," Jennifer said, fishing out her new book.  "I hope this turns out better than the last one.  I thought Sydney was an idiot for throwing his life away like that."

  "The entire book is about sacrifice when faced with adversity, really."  Anna said.

  "And the moral is, men…and this is true in this world too…seem to be willing to make a martyr out of themselves over the stupidest things."  Jennifer said.  "Girls.  Integrity.  Killing massive amounts of people in the name of justice."

  "Huh?"  Anna said, giving the other woman a strange look.

  "I think you had to be there for the last one," Jennifer chuckled softly.  "My father nearly killed himself and my fiancée along with dozens of others just so he could destroy one man.  But I wouldn't let him.  Every time I visit Dad reminds me of it though," she scowled.  "I'm just not willing to lose everything just to see one man dead, even if that happens to be Voldemort."

  Anna had taken the black box out.  Turning it over and using a tiny screwdriver she had bought to open the back of it, she popped the strange cylinders in it.

  "What's your fiancée like?" Anna asked.

  "Very tall, dark, and as Audi once put it, distinguished looking," Jennifer said with a grin.  "Very, very intelligent, stoic, yet caring, thoughtful…" Jennifer continued, looking off in the distance.  "It's a pity all the students hate him," she added, making Anna look at her curiously.

  "The students hate him?"

  "They can't stand him," Jennifer grinned.  Just then a blaring sound came out of the box and Jennifer jumped back two feet, staring at it.  "Oh, it's that stuff from the shop you said was music."

  "It _is_ music," Anna said shaking your head.  "What do you listen to?"

  "Oh, well, not much.  Filius Flitwick has a really neat enchanted instrument band he brings out for holidays and special occasions, though.  They're really good."  Anna shook her head at her.

  "And they say I have a sheltered life?  You need to get out more, Jennifer."

  "Easy for you to say.  You have no idea just how many people want me dead right now," Jennifer sighed.  "And I guess if today's any example, I'm not even safe from that in your world.  By the way, thanks for…whatever it was you did today."

  "I didn't do anything much, at least… not anything I could really control," Anna said with a sigh.  "When I feel someone I know in danger, sometimes something happens inside me, and I just…go to them.  Dumbledore is trying to help me learn how to control it, though."

  "Aether magic is not easy to control, they say."  Jennifer agreed.

  "Is that what it's called?"  Anna said thoughtfully.  "Any books on it here?"

  "Maybe, we can always look," Jennifer nodded.  Anna was busy unwrapping the flat boxes for a moment, then stopped, putting them down.

  "I wonder if this Fudge man killed my brother," she said suddenly, going over to the bookshelf. 

   "Fudge wasn't always bad.  From what I understand, he fought against Voldemort for many years."  Jennifer said.

  "Well, I keep getting the feeling I've met him before," Anna insisted.  "Perhaps even the first time I found myself in the Alley several years back.  I had just turned off a street and saw him, or someone that looked like him, go in an unmarked building.  I wanted to figure out what it was all about, so I followed, and ended up in a bar, the Leaky Cauldron.  That's when I met Harry too…he was staying there."

  "Harry stayed at the Leaky Cauldron?"  Jennifer said blankly.

  "Yes, it was when Sirius Black first broke out of jail.  He said everyone was worried about him, so he was staying there.  He seemed happy but sort of lonely, so we talked often.  But he left and I had gotten called home.   I didn't come back for a couple years, until I came to look up some family history and such.  I didn't meet Dumbledore here until last year, though, that's when I stumbled into Hogwarts somehow."  Jennifer suddenly realized why Anna was having so much trouble making the transition between Sirius she heard of then and the real one.  When she left, he had been a convicted killer, and walking back in several years later and finding him out and about and Harry's godfather was probably a bit much, especially when now they knew the Muggles were never told he was acquitted.   It really was little wonder then why Sirius kept to dog form when Dumbledore asked him to keep an eye on her.  She probably disliked Sirius more than she disliked dogs.

  "I wasn't here when Sirius first got out.  I was trying to get into Beauxbatons as a junior instructor back then, so I'm not sure if Fudge was a friend at that point or not.  By the time I got here, though, things had already gone downhill and he was already involved in things he shouldn't have been from what I understand," Jennifer said, walking over to where Anna stood by her bookshelf.  She was holding a children's book with a beautifully illustrated cover that had gotten tattered and torn over the years.

  "That's very pretty," Jennifer commented.  The girl in the blue dress probably looked an awful lot like her at eight or nine, as she leaned over to delicately touch the surface of a mirror, looking through to the world beyond.

  "My brother gave it to me when I was really young and still visited a bit.  It was a birthday present.  It was really hard growing up having a brother a whole country away that I could never see.  As a girl growing up I often imagined what my brother might be like…that my brother off at school could have been in a world like this, although it's quite different than I imagined.  I guess that's what the inscription meant, but I didn't realize it at the time," she said, handing it over to Jennifer.  "I don't believe in killing people, Jennifer, not at all, but at the same time, I hope never to find out if that man killed my brother.  I might be tempted to try and do something about it."

  Jennifer delicately handled the book, opening the cover.  Suddenly she felt like the world was starting to spin and she sat down on the floor, staring at it in disbelief.  Now it all began to make sense.  Her tall appearance, that familiar haunted look in her eyes…_Treat her like a sister_, Audi had said.  And how blasted impossible to argue with she was!  But she was so fair, and so…Muggle.  And yet, it all began to fit at last.

  "Anna…Titiana…your brother is not dead," Jennifer whispered, reading the inscription over and over again:

  To Titiana- Many Happy Returns;

     May you some day find a way behind the looking glass

                         -Faithfully, Your Brother –  

                                     Severus

  "What do you mean my brother is not dead?  You know him?  What's wrong with you, you're pale as a ghost!  My brother is alive?!"  Anna said, raising her voice as Jennifer nodded numbly, still in shock.  "Well, where is he, I want to see him!"  She demanded, shaking Jennifer roughly.  Why hadn't Dumbledore told anyone?  Why hadn't he even told Severus she was here?  But there was no way that Jennifer was about to keep this from Severus any longer.

  "You want to see him right now?"  Jennifer asked slowly.

  "Right now!"  Anna agreed.

  Jennifer got up with a nod, looked at her watch, and then Apparated, leaving Anna blinking in frustration, wondering where she went.  But Jennifer didn't waste any time once she past the gate.  Still clutching the book, she hurried into the school and down the stairs to his office not even bothering to knock.  Severus looked up with surprise from behind his desk, Minerva sitting to the side of the room with a notepad, having been taking some notes out of one of Severus' rarer potion books.

  "…be a lot easier if you'd just let me borr…"  Minerva had been saying, but the look on her face changed when Jennifer came in.  She knew why Jennifer had come.

  "Jennifer!  What's wrong?" Severus said.  "What happened?  And why are you wearing those horrendous clothes?"  Without a word Jennifer walked up to the desk and put the book in front of him, watching the shock register on his face as well.  "Just how…where…did you get this?" he asked, staring inside the cover.

  "She's here," Jennifer said.  "She's been here.  Minerva, why didn't you tell us?"

  "Now Jennifer, please calm down.   Dumbledore wanted it to come out on its own so Anna would have time to adjust to this environment.  She wasn't ready," Minerva explained calmly.

  "Well, you both didn't have to let her keep thinking he was dead!" Jennifer said, obviously upset, turning to Severus.  "She wants to see you, if you're up to it."

  "Borrow the tome if you want," Severus snapped at Minerva, following Jennifer out the door.  Minerva watched them go before taking the tome that she'd been copying from in her arm, extinguishing the candles and lanterns with a flick of the wrist, and stepping out of the office.

   Jennifer spent the time walking explaining to Severus everything that had occurred since she'd first of Anna, even giving a detailed account of what had happened that day and what Dumbledore had told her afterwards.  Severus nodded expressionlessly, listening without interrupting as he tried to sort all of it out in his mind.


	12. Suspicious Natures

Chapter Twelve

Suspicious Natures

  Anna paced, wondering how long it was going to take for her to get back with her brother.  Jennifer had acted so strange.  Was there something wrong with him, Anna wondered?  Twenty years had past since she had seen him last.  She was quite sure he had probably changed, being a wizard and all, and wondered if he didn't look like a younger version of Dumbledore.  At last there was a knock at the door, and Anna flung it open.  They stood there for a moment, eyeing each other suspiciously.

  This was not the brother she had remembered.  Not even from her wildest dreams had she imagined him quite like this.  She remembered the dark eyes, but now they were tainted with years of bitterness.  She remembered the face, but it had not been so pallid in his youth, having spent much time outdoors hunting snakes and lizards and beetles to taunt her with.  And she definitely didn't remember the air of darkness about him that now could only remind her of their belated father.  She certainly wouldn't have imagined him in dreadful black robes that clenched the neck and made him look as if he were ready for a funeral.  Even still, there could be no doubt that this was her brother, yet just as a part of her wanted to acknowledge him, another part wished rather to cower away, as if exploring a side of herself that she had little desire to.

    Jennifer, standing along side Severus, kept looking back and forth at them, watching the steady gaze as if waiting for someone to blink.  Finally, Jennifer chuckled.

  "It's official, you're definitely related.  Anna, let us in," Jennifer said impatiently.  Anna slowly moved and Jennifer and Severus came in, Severus glancing around the room curiously.  He went over to the fireplace and picked up the photo, looking at it for a moment before setting it down.

  "How are your grandparents?" Severus asked cautiously.  Jennifer could tell from the look on his face he didn't really care for them much.

  "Fine.  I spoke with them today.  They were a bit worried, but they're okay now."

  "I see you're doing well."  Severus said, not turning around.  Jennifer was watching him carefully.

  "Except for having my whole world turned upside down, yeah," Anna said, nodding.  "How are you?"

  "Very well.  Happy." Severus said quietly.  Anna could have thought of many things of how Severus looked.  Happy wasn't one of them.  Jennifer, however, smiled warmly at him as if she was seeing something that Anna wasn't.  Anna found that rather irritating.

  "You look much different than I expected," Anna admitted, sitting down tiredly but still watching him unsurely.

  "Well, considering that from what I understand you thought I was dead until a little while ago, I'll take that as a compliment," Severus said, turning with a smirk that almost resembled a smile.  "You, on the other hand, look quite a bit the way I was expecting.  Although I admit, seeing you and my fiancée in matching Muggle outfits is a bit alarming.  We're not going to make a habit of that, are we?" Severus asked, peering quizzically at Jennifer.

   "Wait a minute, your fiancé?"  Anna said blankly, looking at Jennifer.  "You mean to tell me this is who you were talking about earlier?"

  "Anna, believe me, I had no idea your brother was Severus or I would have told you a lot sooner," Jennifer said.

  "What exactly did you say about me?" Severus asked, squinting his eyes at Jennifer.

  "Nothing bad," Jennifer said with an innocent smile.

  "Except she said your students hate you," Anna said, looking at Jennifer.  "I take it that means he teaches at Hogwarts?"

  "I'm the Potions Master, and not all my students hate me," Severus glared at Jennifer, "some of them only extremely dislike me."

  "Anna is sort of like a Truth Seeker without magic, what's it called again?"  Jennifer asked.

  "Criminal profiler," Anna sighed at her.  "In fact, one of my first visits I was here was to profile Sirius Black."

  "Let me tell you a thing or two about Sirius Black…"

  "Severus!"

  "…Some other time," he finished, glancing over at Jennifer with a scowl.  It was pretty apparent to Anna that whatever it was he was going to say was probably uncomplimentary at best.  But as curious as Anna was, the events of the day had begun to take its toll and she was having a hard time concentrating.  

  "You feeling all right, Anna?" Jennifer asked, studying her.  A quick flash of concern swept over Severus' face, fading into a thoughtful frown as he looked over at his sister.

  "I should be all right.  It's just, I'm drained, whenever I do something…magic…I get this way, like protecting you today," she admitted to Jennifer.

  "Perhaps I can find a potion to help that.  I'm quite sure I have something that will work," Severus offered.

  "No thanks, I probably just need rest," Anna decided.  "It's been a hectic day."

  "You can say that again," Jennifer agreed.  "I think I'll let you rest then," she said getting up.

  "Yes, me too," Severus said quickly, looking over at Anna hesitantly.  "It is good to have the chance to see you again, Titiana," he said stiffly.  Anna knew from the look in his eyes that he meant it, even if he were reluctant to admit it.

  "It's good to see you too," she smiled, not feeling much more confidant than he did.  At least, she thought as they left, he seemed comfortable with admitting his relationship to Jennifer, and Anna was somehow quite sure that whatever struggle they may have getting to know one another again would not compare to what he must have had to fight through to get to that point with Jennifer.  But before she could wonder about why she knew that, Anna collapsed into a deep sleep.

  Jennifer slept fairly late.  It was nearly eleven before she crawled out of bed and into her robes, glancing at her watch. Seeing that Severus was in the forest, she decided to leave him alone with Anna for a bit, opting instead to go talk to Hagrid since she missed dinner the night before.  Still feeling a tad groggy, she took the long way around the lake, hoping the fresh air would wake her up.  It was then she noticed the fallen form near the other shore and quickly went over to him, kneeling beside him and turning him over.  Remus awoke, looking bleary-eyed at Jennifer.  He tried to focus as he sat up shakily, fighting to get his bearings.

  "Boy, you look like the tail that bit the dog, don't you.  Can you walk?"  Jennifer asked, offering an arm.  Getting up and leaning on her for support, the two of them slowly made their way to Hagrid's.  "How did you get on this side of the tree? I thought…"

  "Change of plans due to a new resident in the forest," Remus explained softly.  "I just couldn't get back in time this morning."

  "Well, it's all right now," Jennifer said comfortingly.  Hagrid was outside when they came up, and quickly hurried over to help get Remus inside.

  "'Ere, now Lupin, you just rest a bit an' I'll see abou' gettin' you some tea."  Hagrid said.  They gently sat Lupin down on Hagrid's large chair, and he promptly fell asleep.  Jennifer resisted the urge to giggle as he started to snore softly.  "Oh, wull, s'much fer that, ya know what they say about lettin' sleepin' werewolves lie," Hagrid said.  He poured himself and Jennifer mugs of mugwort tea and they went back outside.  "Wunner what he was up to, last night."

  "Well, I'm sure we won't know for several hours from the way he looked," Jennifer said.  "The poor man.  It's strange to see him like this…he looks so helpless.  You should have seen him when we brought the train in, just like night and day."

  "Eh, well, you should see his otha side.  Then again, ya prolly shouldn't.  It's not pretty."  Hagrid said.  Suddenly a paper dropped to the ground, followed by an owl, which he handed some knuts to.  "Well, now, wunner what's up in the world t'day?"

  "The second expedition game is later, you going?" she asked.

  "Course, wouldn' miss it, what with Gryffindor playin' an' all," he said.

  "And the best part is, I don't have to referee," Jennifer said with a smirk.  "I got the day off."  Hagrid was getting ready to say something else as he opened the paper and glanced at it, but then his eyes went wide and he sat his tea down.

  "Uh oh."

  "Uh oh?  What uh oh?"  Jennifer said in alarm, seeing from Hagrid's face it had something to do with her.  "I knew summat held ya up, yesterday, Professor, but I didn' know ya were in so much trouble."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"  Jennifer asked, peering over at the title, then the picture, with her jaw open.  "Great stars above!" she swore, wincing as she realized the events of yesterday weren't over yet as she read the lines:  WITCH SEEN BY COUNTLESS MUGGLES CASTING, MAKES MUGGLE NEWS, followed by a picture of her casting at the officer.

  "Sez here them Muggles got pictures in their paper too."

  "Oh man, I am in so much trouble," Jennifer groaned, sitting down and putting her head in her hands.

  "Wull, it sez here the Ministry is claimin' responsibility fer it, but it don't say why.  What happened?"  Hagrid asked.  Jennifer did another recount of the events of the trip as they finished their tea, Hagrid shaking or nodding his head every now and then as he listened.  Severus walked up from the forest as she was finishing up, looking over at them thoughtfully.

  "From the way Arthur had reassured me, I thought this was all going to blow over, but boy, I sure don't think so now," Jennifer sighed as Hagrid showed Severus the paper.  Severus shook his head and sighed.

  "You never do anything halfway, do you," Severus said.

  "I'm talented that way," Jennifer muttered.

  "Wull!  I'd better go in and check on Lupin afore the game," Hagrid said, offering to take Jennifer's cup as he got up.

  "He's here?  Let him know then I'll bring him out something later on to help him recover," Severus said.

  "Yes, Professor.  See you later, then," Hagrid said, and Severus and Jennifer began walking back.

  "I thought you said you didn't like Remus," Jennifer said tauntingly.

  "Of course I don't, but we can't have him lying around half-dead or completely out of his mind all the time," Severus grunted at her, very aware she was testing him.  "I also don't like the way he looks at you.  By the way, you didn't tell me he ended up triggering that potion Pettigrew gave you."

  "Severus," Jennifer chuckled, linking her arm in his as they headed towards the pitch.  "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were jealous.  Harry and Ron were with us the whole time and I went straight to Poppy afterwards.  Besides, you know how hard it is to fight potions."  Jennifer looked away, her thoughts troubled.  In the past, she had always thought of potions as an aid, and had trusted them above regular magic…they were more dependable in some ways, less fallible, and easier to control.  But now she found herself viewing them with more suspicion, a suspicion and leeriness she had never felt before.  Severus had been watching her face as they walked in silence, suspecting what she was thinking.

  "I think I know how to make you feel better about that," he said quietly.  "I know you well enough to know you hate being out of control of a situation as much as I do.  If I could only get you to stop rushing into things like you do and rather pause and use that brilliant little head of yours, perhaps we can work out some plans ahead of time to curtail anything like this from ever happening again."

  "Like what?" Jennifer asked, looking into his gentle gaze.

  "Let's go to my office after the game," Severus said as they neared the pitch, "and we'll talk about it."

    "Professor Craw!" Hermione ran in from the school, out of breath.  "I have to talk to you about something important."  Jennifer read her face carefully.

  "Excuse me a moment, Severus," Jennifer said, moving over to meet her.  Hermione started talking to Jennifer rapidly, as Severus squinted, trying to discern what they were saying.

  "Professor Snape?"  Severus glanced up long enough to nod to Minerva, who was coming up beside Pummeler, his eyes darting back over to Jennifer as Hermione handed her a piece of paper.  "Mr. Jasper is here and would love some insight on your house players during the game.  I don't suppose you and Jennifer would like to join us in the teacher's box?"

  "I'm especially interested in seeing the two Seekers.  I hear Mr. Malfoy is quite good, best trainers and all, and of course Mr. Potter is legendary," Pummeler said, but quickly noticed the other man's distractedness.  "I hear the Beaters on Slytherin are very good as well," he added. 

   "Yes, especially Amadeus Longbottom," Severus nodded absently, "although he's only a third year, he seems to excel in everything."

  "Everything but schoolwork," Minerva said with a thin smile.  Severus was about to retort on how he never had any trouble with him when Jennifer stepped up.

  "Excuse me.  Severus, something's come up I need to take care of.  I'll still meet you after the game, okay?" Jennifer said quickly.  "Hello, Professor McGonagall, Mr. Jasper."

  "Anything I should know about?" Severus asked, studying her suspiciously.

  "I'll tell you all about it later," Jennifer promised.  "Have fun watching the game." 

  Jennifer then walked a few steps away until she met back up with Hermione and then the two of them broke into a run back into the school.  Severus and Minerva exchanged glances.

  "Shall we get to the game?" Pummeler asked, looking between them.

  "Well, Severus?  Are you going to trust her, or trust your instincts?" Minerva asked, plainly waiting for him to do something.  Nodding to Minerva and Pummeler sharply, he turned and headed into the school, looking at something in his pocket.  "Let's go find some seats, Mr. Jasper.  I'm sure I can give you any detail about both teams quite well, I used to play Quidditch myself, you know," Minerva said, taking only a quick glance back at the door before heading towards the boxes.

   "I can't believe you guys did this, before a game and everything," Jennifer said, glancing down the list Hermione had given her.  "But boy, have you been busy.  Where the heck did you find this?"

  "It's a long story.  I was helping Professor Binns out dusting history books and such…"

  "Hermione, ghosts don't care about dust."

  "Well, Professor Binns is in denial," Hermione explained, "Anyhow, I was in there studying when I realized there were old class lists in there.  That's when I found the tome with the old listing.  And then, when I was in Professor McGonagall's office borrowing some exam books, she had to go out for a moment and I took a peek at the front of the Book."

  "Hermione!"

  "Well, that's when we knew for a fact that Janus Craw was one of the very first students under Slytherin.  In fact, we think some of the older students were actually apprentices as they used to do under the old system, and if what I read in Dark Wizards is correct, Mallus Craw is a direct descendent, and you're his direct descendent, which makes you the Keeper of Dark Wizardry, right?  You know every dark spell up to your generation?"

  "Yes, I am, Hermione, you have me there.  But I'm sure Harry probably knew that after what happened last year at the cemetery."

  "That's how I figured out it was connected…you, the wand, and the tomb I mean, because I found a book on the legend behind the tomb, in which it states; 'many ancient dark rituals that are no longer used today are said to have been preserved in the tomb.'"  Hermione said.

  "Well, you could have explained all this earlier and told me what you guys were planning to do," Jennifer snapped.

  "You didn't want to listen!"  Hermione protested as they went into the bathroom.  "It's in here," she explained, pointing down the hole.  "Come on."  A young girl ghost came out of a stall, watching them curiously, sniffling as they headed down.

  A moment later, the door opened and Severus came in, an annoyed expression on his face.  He locked the door behind him, hoping to keep any more students from getting involved in whatever hair-brained scheme they were into this time.  Ignoring the protests of the Moaning Myrtle who wanted to know what he was doing here, he crawled into the passage.


	13. Jennifer in the Chamber of Secrets

Chapter Thirteen

Jennifer in the Chamber of Secrets

Jennifer found herself lying in the mud at the bottom of the pipe as Hermione lit up the area, showing her down the cavern.

  "It's over this way," Hermione said, trudging down the cavern, one hand on the slimy walls as if feeling for something.

  "How did you guys ever manage to find this in the first place?" Jennifer asked after awhile.  Hermione reached a break in the rock and squeezed into a narrow tunnel.  Jennifer followed slowly behind and they picked their way through, Hermione telling her a strange story about a diary and an ancient serpent basilisk.  Even though Jennifer was far from claustrophobic, she had begun to get unnerved before the long, winding tunnel ended.  She tried to concentrate on the story being told, listening intrigued when Hermione got to the part that Harry had told her about his fight with the basilisk.  It was amazing at best, but Jennifer never doubted for a second it was true, especially when it came to Fawkes coming down to help.

  "They never had a chance to look around though, he had to get Ginny back, and they never came down here again.  I guess we thought maybe Dumbledore sealed it up, but I know we never thought about it after that year.  But when all this stuff came up about Janus Craw being one of Slytherin's apprentices, that's when I realized that perhaps his apprentices had been down here after him, and maybe left something behind to point the way to the tomb."

  Suddenly Jennifer saw a light ahead, and she crawled into a long, tall chamber with snake carved pillars and a tall, imposing statue of a strange looking wizard, towering above them.  The huge statue, however, was facing slightly to the side, revealing a chamber behind it.  Sitting beside the other door was Ginny, getting up with a look of relief on her face.

  "They're in here, Professor, we found it last night…be careful though, there's traps everywhere in this place."

  "Of course there are traps everywhere.  You wouldn't think this place go completely unprotected, would you?"  Jennifer said in annoyance.

  The closest part of the second chamber had a sandy dirt floor, followed by a strange elaborate obsidian arch.  At the apex of the arch was a chiseled design of two snakes twisted into what looked like an eight on its side, biting each other's tail.  Beyond it was a black stone floor, covered with lines and geometric figures drawn in perfect red lines.  Unlike the dirt section of the room which was covered with filth and pieces of shed snakeskin, the stone section of the floor seemed immaculate, polished like glass with hazy reflections of the ceiling appearing in puddles of dim lamplight.  The room was not a perfect shape, cutting off at strange angles and imperfect corners, the smooth black walls climbing up to an oddly domed ceiling with the same strange angles that had neither symmetry or any apparent reason to its design, jutting out in jags and strangely deformed shapes all made up of straight lines and sharp angles.

  In the very back of the room, a simple square pedestal sat in a diagram of simple shapes combined together to form its own protective seal.  It was this, Jennifer realized, that Harry and Ron must have been trying to get to.  Instead, Harry had found himself in the exact center of the room, the ward that had trapped him had triggered a three dimensional design of magic light that had manifested in the air around him, encasing him in the center of a complex mesh of oddly angled lines, criss-crossing in a painstakingly calculated matrix.  Ron, who must have tried to go and help him, was stuck off center to one side, sitting in the middle of his cell looking exhausted and frustrated.

  "Hello, Professor," Harry said tiredly.  "We seem to have gotten into a bit of a jam."

  "So it seems," Jennifer said, trying to control her anger.  "How long have you guys been in here?"

 "All night," Ron said tiredly.

  "I thought I could solve it, since it was obviously a mathematical ward, but…nothing seemed to work," Hermione said with frustration. 

  "That's because these are paradox wards, Hermione.  You can't find a solution to this kind of ward because they are designed in a way that you need to know the answer to the problem before you can dispel the angles.  I've never seen anything quite this complex before," Jennifer admitted with a frown.  Arithmantics of any kind were not her strong point.  "This sort of thing is normally used in summoning, for holding creatures from other dimensions that can't be controlled any other way…" Jennifer said thoughtfully.  "What could he have been attempting to do?" she muttered to herself.  More importantly, how was she going to be able to get these two out?

  Glancing across the room at the pedestal, she couldn't help but wonder if the box didn't have the final answer to the paradox, the number that would, when put in a specific formula, be used to take the ward apart and allow anyone trapped inside to escape.  Trial and error would take forever.  The only way would be to get the answer itself, and that meant trying to figure out which of the patterns on the floor led to that point.  Jennifer studied them carefully, but several of the designs seemed to intersect with the pedestal.  Which could possibly be the right one?

  "Anyway I can help, Professor?" Hermione asked.

  "No, perhaps it'd be better if you and Ginny went on up.  This is probably going to take a while."

  "No, we're staying.  Someone needs to stay here anyhow in case something else goes wrong to try and get more help."  Hermione said, stubbornly.

  "You shouldn't have come down here on your own in the first place," Jennifer snapped loudly out of anger and frustration.  "How many times have I warned you guys about running off without thinking and doing stuff like this?  You don't know what any of these traps do, or what consequences they might have, you could have easily been killed coming down here.  Why in the world do you insist on tackling these things by yourselves?"

  "Funny, I was just meaning to ask you the exact same questions," an annoyed voice said from right behind them.  Jennifer turned around in surprise to meet Severus' stern flashing gaze as he stood in the doorway, wearing a look that would have sent most students running for cover had it been directed at them.  "Sit down, Weasley, Granger, you're not going anywhere.  And whatever you do, don't touch anything."

  "How did you find us?" Jennifer asked.  He stared at her for a long moment.

  "I had a feeling you were going to pull something like this again without telling me, so I had a compass point added to my watch when I had yours made so I could tell which way you are heading.  Don't think you're ever going to get away from me again.  Now help me find that key."

  "A key?" Ginny asked.

  "A number or a letter for the ward," Hermione told her.

  "Be quiet," Severus snapped, studying the layout of the room.  After a moment he glanced up thoughtfully at the ceiling, then back down at the floor.  "Potter, stand up and raise your lantern for a moment."

  Tiredly Harry got to his feet and did as he was told, watching Snape thoughtfully.  Harry saw that for some reason the anger had completely vanished from his face, replaced with a keen, calculating look as he studied the lines and patterns of the floor, completely absorbed in the problem at hand.

  "Jennifer, notice the subtle reflection of the angles off the ceiling?  The lines appear to play a part in the floor design.  And several of those lines don't seem to connect, they end at the beginning of the floor."  Severus said.

  Well, of course they would end at the beginning of the floor, Jennifer thought, the reflection couldn't continue in the dirt.  Was he saying the dead lines were intentional?  As Jennifer studied the floor she began to see what he meant with the patterning, the lines did seem to delicately interconnect with what was already on the floor, completing and melding several patterns that on the surface looked like separate designs altogether.  The lines that stopped at the arch seemed more incomplete to her, and didn't seem to have much reason to them, weaving in and out of the designs and criss-crossing each other in several, random-seeming directions.

  "One of these three here leads to that pedestal design," Severus said with certainty, squinting to try and sort out where each of those three were going after it intersected the main pattern.

  It was at that point that Harry realized something that he really hadn't before; he had come to trust Severus Snape.  Oh, perhaps not with everything, there were definitely many things he'd never dream of telling him.  But at the same time, he knew, somehow, he could trust him with his life.  It was a startling realization with as much animosity that had been between them over the years; but somehow in those few moments, Harry got a glimpse of why Dumbledore trusted him as well.

  "All right, I've found it," Severus said at last, making a mark in the dirt just beyond the floor to which one it was.  "The box is almost certainly set up so only certain people can unlock it, so you'll have to go, Jennifer.  It should be set up with descendants of the apprentices in mind as well.  Besides, you have more knowledge of item curses than I."

  "You knew about Janus Craw?" Jennifer asked, somewhat annoyed that everyone seemed to know more about what was going on than she did.

  "You'd be surprised at how much I know.  Pity you never talk to me," he said in her ear, guiding her over to the correct line.  "All right, make sure you stay on this line and don't go off of it," he said in a louder tone.  "Stray onto another line and you'll probably be trapped as well, then we'll have a real problem on our hands.  I'll stay here and keep you covered in case anything goes wrong."

  Jennifer stepped out on the line, walking several steps out before she realized the line was beginning to fade in front of her.  She had to pause; trying to discern which line it was from ahead.

  "I can't see the reflection from out here," she said, "there's not enough light."

  "Well, don't cast a regular light spell, because if you do you'll see the ceiling instead of the angle lines," Severus said, searching his pockets.  "I think I have something that will help."  He took out a small box of burner candles, and lighting them he cast a spell sending them up over Jennifer's head, the light flickering onto the floor below.  The reflection instantly reappeared, and Jennifer was able to pick up the pace again.

  "Is there anything you don't keep in your pockets?" Ron asked.

  "I thought I told you to be quiet," Severus snapped, watching Jennifer's progress with tension.  Jennifer finally made it through the first major pattern and was on her way towards the pedestal, the candles following along with her.  At last she stepped into the pedestal's ward and began to study the box.

  The box was covered with ritualistic symbols, delicately etched into the gold.  There were no latches of any kind that Jennifer could see, but she hardly expected any.  What concerned her more was the small silver indention in the center of the box like an inverted half-sphere.  She took out her wand a moment, glanced at it then put it back away.

  "What's wrong?"  Severus asked, watching the movement.

  "It wants a blood offering to open it," she told him, "but I suddenly realized trying to use this particular wand to try and identify curses on this would be a bad idea.  I have a feeling they would have trapped it against any of the other three founders trying to mettle."

  "Good point." Severus frowned thoughtfully.  "You'd better come back so I can look at it."

  As Jennifer turned to take a step back onto the line, there was an immediate response as the entire room began to shake, the rumble nearly deafening.  Jennifer pulled back and grabbed onto the pedestal to keep herself from falling, but the rumbling didn't stop, and Jennifer couldn't help but wonder if the entire ceiling wasn't going to fall down on them.  Without wasting another second, Jennifer took out her letter opener and transformed it into a dagger, slashing the palm of her hand and holding it over the indention.  As she stood with her hands leaning over the box, the rumbling suddenly subsided, slowly coming to a stop.  As she moved to get her wand out, a crease appeared in the center of the box and it flipped open, causing Jennifer to take a cautious step back.

  But the world had changed from what it was a moment ago.

  She saw herself standing in the same room, but no lines of any kind were on the floors, and she was standing a few feet back.  Four figures stood near the open box, their robes strange to her, covering every bit of skin but their faces, draping around them in dull, dark gray, but all wearing familiar crests.

  "Does Godric suspect what we have done, Seeker?" asked the auburn-haired man in the Slytherin robe. 

  "No, no…we wouldn't have gotten him to understand," the grey-haired man in the Gryffindor robe said slowly.  "The price would have been too great…even for him.  It had to be us."

  "Do you think there will ever come a time when this is over?" a woman wearing a Hufflepuff robe asked.  "This rivalry…this curse.  It'll live long past our own lives, perhaps even our own legacies.  What if it never ends?"

  "It will end, Chaser," the dark-haired man in the Ravenclaw robe said.  His face was scarred somehow, and he looked much older than his voice would have indicated.  "No one will know in our time who my father was, or that I was the one that killed him.  It may perhaps be generations before the entire truth is discovered.  If we are lucky, they never will.  And if this is all for naught, then let the blame fall on me, and for what this may bring to the future of your families to come."

  "Surely, Beater, you do not plan to go ahead and take your own family!  You cannot seriously blame them in this!"  The Gryffindor protested.

  "Blame them?  Of course not.  I  blame no one but my father for this,"  the dark haired man said, taking out a red bottle and putting it in the box.  "I shall do it out of love, for only then can I bear it.  As for my brother, with any luck he is dead."

  "And if he isn't?"  Asked the auburn-haired man.  He took out a large, oddly sided clear gem and put it in the box.  The Hufflepuff woman then added a scroll, looking at the contents thoughtfully.

  "That, Keeper, is why we must do this, as you well know," the Ravenclaw said, looking over at the auburn-haired man.  "I do not envy you your destinies."

  "I don't think anyone would envy any of us if they had any idea what we were doing," the Seeker said, setting a mirror in the box.  "But what must be, must be.  To save the school, and the future, I do not regret this pact we have made."

  "Nor do I," the other three said, giving each other a weak, private smile.

  "Very well, brothers and sister, let's then close the box with our memory and seal it…for all time, or the time for greater evil, whichever lies in our path."

  "For Witches and Wizards of any descent," said the Chaser, putting her hand on the box.

  "For Knowledge and Wisdom," said the Keeper, adding his hand to her own.

  "For the future of all, Magic or Muggle alike," said the Seeker, smiling sadly as he joined them.

  "And for the preservation of Hogwarts," said the Beater, adding his hand to seal the box.

  Harry scrambled to his feet as the rumbling stopped, glancing around.  Ron was warily watching the ceiling as if expecting it to come down on his head as he sat up, looking perfectly miserable.  Hermione and Ginny had somehow managed to scramble into the doorway, holding onto the frame as they gazed in with worried expressions, while Snape stood clutching the side of the arch, looking over towards the pedestal worriedly.  Harry glanced over towards the pedestal where Professor Craw was leaning over the box with her hand bleeding and a dagger in her hand.  Suddenly, a light seemed to pierce through the box, revealing the seal.  It flipped open as she took a step back and the blinding light came full force towards her, hitting her in the face.  Harry blinked and looked again, but Jennifer was standing as still as a statue with her eyes closed, her hand still bleeding onto the floor.

  "Jennifer!  Jennifer, snap out of it!" Snape shouted.  Glancing around at where all the students were, he was about to step out onto the pattern when she shook herself awake, falling to her knees.

  "I'm okay, I'm okay," she stammered, slowly taking out her wand and bandaging her hand.  She then put her hand in the box and took out an oddly shaped gem, carefully counting its sides.  "The answer's thirteen," she said after a moment.  She still had a dazed look in her face.

  "Fine.  Get back over here before I have to go out there and drag you back," he said with sudden irritation.  Quickly Jennifer put the gem in her pocket and grabbed a bottle, a small scroll, and a mirror out of the box.  Taking her Puzzlebox out of her shirt pocket and expanding it, she put those three in there thoughtfully, shutting it and ignoring Severus' insistence for her to hurry.

  "Never mind about me.  Start the formulas so we can get these two out of here," Jennifer said, stepping onto the line. 

  Harry watched as Snape pointed his wand towards him, muttering an incantation.  For a moment the ward around him glowed, and then suddenly a brilliant blue equation appeared in front of the ward, hovering as if on an invisible chalkboard.   After adding the number to the answer and looking carefully at a moment, he pointed at the formula again, dictating, and a line appeared above it.  Behind him, Hermione watched with interest, even taking out a notebook and quietly writing in it as he went.  Harry, Ron and Ginny, who had all opted for Divination instead, were having great trouble following the process and soon lost interest in watching.

  "So, what happened to you out there, Professor Craw?  When the box opened, you seemed to go into a trance." Ginny asked.

  "The box was memory sealed," Jennifer explained as she cast at Ron's ward, pulling up the formula.  "It had an enchantment on it so that whoever managed to open the box would see the memory of the last people who closed it."  Jennifer stared at the final answer of the equation for a long time before putting up the next line, stopping to check herself a dozen times before even attempting to move on.

  "So who was it?" Harry asked.

  "Can't this wait until we get out of here?"  Ron asked impatiently.  "I've had about all I can stand of this place."

  "So have I, and unless you've forgotten, there was supposed to be a Quidditch game with two of you in it over an hour ago." Snape said, putting in another line.  

  "We are going to be in so much trouble," said Ginny.

  "You are already in so much trouble," Jennifer assured them.  "Especially considering I have one of the next detention shifts."  Hermione tapped her on the shoulder and quietly pointed something out to Jennifer, which she corrected, then brooded over the next line. 

  Snape, having finished what he was sure was the last line, checked it over carefully then looked over at the matrix with grim determination.

  "_Equate_!"  The formula went crashing towards the ward one line at a time, breaking apart bits of the ward as the code began to negate itself until it finally disappeared all together.  Harry gratefully stepped onto the line that Snape had indicated was safe to follow, and walked over as Snape turned his attention to the formula Jennifer was working on.  Harry soon found himself in the middle of a hug as he stepped into the stand and Ginny and Hermione came over to meet him.  In next to no time, Snape was able to finish the last few lines of the other formula, and Ron too was standing back out of the room getting hugs all around.

  "All right, let's get out of here.  Jennifer, any reason we can't seal that room?"  Snape asked as they filed out behind the statue.

  "No, that sounds like a good idea," Jennifer agreed.  Standing back from the statue, the two of them aimed their wands together at the door, slamming it shut and blasting it with an array of wards, sealing it from entry and marking it with their wizard signatures.  "There, no more traps!" Jennifer said with satisfaction putting back her wand.

  "Wow, look, I can't believe this is still here.  It's the quill I was writing in the diary with," Ginny said, walking over to pick it up.

   "Wait, watch where you're walking!"  Jennifer cried out, noticing the snake symbol on the floor beneath her feet.  Severus leapt across the cavern to where Ginny was, pushing her out of the way just as the symbol disappeared from under his feet.  "Severus!"  In a panic Jennifer dove to grab onto him, falling in after him a moment before the seal suddenly reappeared above them. 

  Slime had built up within the twisting pipe, making it difficult to try and slow down as it took a nasty turn downwards.  Suddenly as the pipe opened up into a plummeting drop, Jennifer ran into something in front of her and felt an arm tightly around her, keeping her from falling.

  "_Lumos!_"  Severus intoned, giving Jennifer a chance to look at their predicament.

  He was hanging with one arm wrapped her and the other around a long rope that seemed to be suspended in air just outside the pipe that spewed its green ooze down its front to drop into a large underground river below.  Giant snake skins and bones lying below were tell tale signs of its former resident, which probably spent most of its time in the dark caverns before being called forth into the chamber above.

  "Well, this is going to complicate things," Severus smirked weakly.  Jennifer glared at him, trying to keep hold around his waist.

  "Oh, this is a swell time for you to decide to develop a sense of humor.  Where did this rope come from?"  Jennifer asked.

  "Where do you think it came from?  I got it out of my cloak pocket."

  "I don't know if you're overly paranoid or just brilliant," Jennifer said in amazement.

  "Can you manage to get to your wand?" he asked.

  "Not and still hold on," Jennifer admitted.

  "Then try to get your arms around my neck so I can get to mine.  Don't worry, I have you," he reassured her, winding his leg around the bottom of the rope for support.  It was then that they started hearing frantic shouts faintly coming down the pipe.

  "Professors!  We figured out how to keep it open!  Can you hear us?"  Harry's voice filtered down.

  "STAY THERE!"  Severus shouted up the pipe so loud it made Jennifer wince.  "Come on, Jennifer, before those four try to rescue us and get us all in trouble."   Jennifer slowly crept an arm up to his shoulder, carefully pulling herself up enough so that she could get the other one around his neck.  "All right, hang on, we're going to go weightless in a moment," he warned her as got out his wand, casting the spell first at her.  She felt herself begin to lift away, and she made a quick grab for the pipe pushing herself up inside, cringing every time she touched the side.  "Come on, it's no time to be squeamish.  This spell doesn't last that long, you know," Severus snapped impatiently floating behind her.

  At last Jennifer noticed a light up ahead, and she was able to make a quick shove up to the top and Harry offered a hand up, grimacing as he touched her slime-caked hand. 

  "Thanks Harry, uh, sorry about that," Jennifer said apologetically.

  "Just glad you're all right.  The seal was opened with parseltongue so it was all about finding the right word.  What was it like down there?"

  "Just have to watch out for the drop at the end," Jennifer said, glancing around as Severus climbed out behind her.  Jennifer, who had not noticed that she herself was covered with slime from head to toe with stench enough to wake the dead, suddenly burst out laughing at the sight of Severus, having to hold onto Harry to keep herself from flying across the room.

  "Severus, you look like you fell into a barrel of swampmuck eel ichor!"  Jennifer said, and burst into another round of laughter as the spell suddenly ended and she dropped to the floor.

  "You don't exactly look like a spring blossom yourself at the moment," muttered Severus, who not only didn't see anything particularly funny and was glaring at all of the students as if to dare them to even chuckle (Ron had to turn away and quickly broke into a coughing fit).  "Enough is enough.  Let's get out of here before we run into any more surprises.  You first, Jennifer, and the rest follow.  I am going to make sure none of you leave my sight.  Harry, make sure that door is closed."

  Harry paused a moment as they left, hissing something softly in parseltongue to make the large doors into the Chamber swing shut.  Severus nudged him ahead looking as irritated as always as they began the long trek up to the surface. 


	14. Minerva

Chapter Fourteen

Minerva

  When Jennifer arrived at the top to see a large tabby cat sitting there waiting, she was not surprised.  Nor were the four students, although they did not seem particularly thrilled to see her, greeting her rather with a moan, wince, groan, and grimace respectively as Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Harry floated up into the bathroom, followed by Severus, who then immediately turned and sealed the pipe in which they had just came out of.

  "We seem to have found some wayward students, Professor McGonagall," Jennifer said clearing her throat.  She was attempting to use a spell to try and clean the crusting slime off her robes, but for some reason the spell could only get the top layer off.

  The cat suddenly looked as if it were going to stand on its hind legs, and taking a step forward grew in size and shape until an instant later the six were looking at a very unhappy Minerva McGonagall.

  "Aren't we getting a little old for this sort of thing?"  Minerva said, frowning at them disapprovingly.  "After that pathetic expedition game we had where two of the key players on the Gryffindor team mysteriously did not show, I came to find out from the rest of your house mates that no one remembered seeing you get up this morning, apparently having already left…or is it that you never made it to bed at all?"

  "We hadn't, Professor.  Although we had expected to be back long before now, but we ran into a bit of trouble," Harry answered.

  "It's all my fault, Professor McGonagall, I'm the one who insisted we go down there," Hermione said.  "See, we hadn't really explored down there, and we thought perhaps there might be something important down there."

  "They were looking for clues to the Forbidden Tomb," Jennifer put in.

  "They were _what_?"

  "Despite several attempts by both of us to discourage them," Severus added.

  "Harry and Ron were caught in paradox wards, some of the most complex work I've ever seen.  Hermione tried to work it out on her own but finally gave up and got me.  They haven't eaten or slept in hours," Jennifer said.

  "Can I at least go to the bathroom?"  Ron asked meekly.  Minerva sighed.

  "Very well.  To your dormitories straight away and for the rest of the day, and nothing like this had better not happen again or this will go straight to Dumbledore.  I expect you four to both have two detentions, and Gryffindor is now down two hundred points for your obvious lack of respect for the rules.  I will make sure all of your housemates know exactly who to thank for it as well."  Minerva said, sending them towards the door.

  "Sounds like Slytherin actually has a chance this year for the cup, eh?"  Jennifer asked Severus, leaning on him.

  "It's early yet," he commented with a frown.  "I've seen them come out of worse holes."  Minerva turned back to look at them as the students left, trying to keep a straight face at their appearance.

  "Might I ask just what, exactly, happened to the two of you down there?"

  "Uh, well, we got into a hole ourselves a bit ago, but Severus was able to help us rise above it," said Jennifer.  Behind her, Severus' lip twitched.

  "Just as well he went to back you up then without you asking, isn't it?"  Minerva smiled slightly.  "By the way, why didn't you at least inform me what was going on when you discovered what had happened, Jennifer?"

  "You were with a guest," Jennifer explained quickly.  "I didn't want to talk about school business around a guest."

  "Well the next time anything like this happens again that involves such student activities within this school, you have my permission to interrupt and pull me aside.  In fact, I insist," Minerva said, gazing at the other professor steadily, the same subtle smile on her face.

  "Of course, Minerva, I'll keep you informed," Jennifer agreed, blushing slightly.

 "Good, that's all that I ask.  Oh, by the way, Dumbledore will probably be back this evening and I expect he'll want to see you both about all of this.  I'll let him know you'll meet him after dinner.  Now, don't you both look at me like that!  It's not my fault you spent your day off mucking about underneath the castle.  Try to enjoy the rest of your afternoon," Minerva added, leaving the room.

  "Can you believe that?"  Jennifer said in annoyance, glancing at her watch.  "That leaves us, what, hour and a half before dinner.  It'll take me that long just to get the rest of this slime off."

  "Well, let's just skip the Great Hall and eat in my office then," Severus suggested.  Jennifer quickly agreed as they headed out the door, pausing a moment as they came out to see Mr. Filch leaning against the wall outside, waiting to reopen the bathroom.  He sniggered and smiled toothily as they came out, looking them up and down.

  "Well aren't ya both a pretty sight.  What did ya do, fall in?"

  "Something like that," Jennifer answered, and quickly headed towards her room, leaving Severus there to glare at him.

  Minerva entered Albus Dumbledore's study, looking somewhat tired.

  "Ah, there you are, Minerva.  I got your note.  It sounds as if you've been having an exciting day," Dumbledore smiled sympathetically.  "Why don't you sit down and relax a bit."

  "Thank you, Albus, although I doubt it'll last for too long.  Jennifer and Severus shall be coming up soon and I'm sure they will have a tale to tell."

  "Of that much I am certain.  How are the other four?"

  "Fed and resting," Minerva sighed, shaking her head.  She had had to have an extra long talk with Hermione about the whole affair afterwards as well, about prefect responsibility.  She hated giving those talks, and that, more than all the running around she had to do today (avoiding catastrophe's, stopping fights, and worrying over teachers chasing students down pipes,) had tired her out the most.  "I have to admit, Dumbledore, that there are times when I am almost glad that Harry, Hermione, and Ron are graduating this year."

  "Ah, yes, I too," Dumbledore smiled.  "Of course, they still have a lot to learn, but I will very much welcome the day when I can look at them just as friends and not students."

  "Yes, but you will always be Professor Dumbledore to them," Minerva said with a smile.

  "Perhaps, perhaps not," Dumbledore said, looking thoughtful.

  There was a soft knock at the door.  Dumbledore made a gesture with his hands and they opened, and Jennifer and Severus walked in.  As Jennifer turned to seek out a particular chair, Severus kept walking straight up to the desk with an unhappy look on his face.

  "Why didn't you tell me about Anna?"  Severus asked accusingly at Dumbledore in a tone that Minerva had not heard Severus use with him.

  "You didn't ask," Dumbledore said simply.

  "Do not give me that.  I had a right to know she was brought here."

  "Severus, I assure you, I did not go out of my way to keep it from you.  Jennifer herself helped escort her here with the rest of the students." Dumbledore said calmly.

  "You didn't go out of your way to tell me who she was though, either.  You only told me she was your goddaughter," Jennifer pointed out.

  "She has been in and out of the school quite a bit since she arrived, and spent quite a deal of time in the library.  I think it would have been a lot easier on her and you both had this come out on its own.  I didn't think a forced meeting would have been good for Anna."  Dumbledore explained.

  "She was in the library a lot, that's true, she was even at the Sorting ceremony the first evening, come to think of it," Jennifer agreed.

  "Exactly whose side are you on, anyway?"  Severus said irritably towards Jennifer.  Jennifer looked at him then Dumbledore then back at Severus again.

  "I'm on Anna's side," she said at last, "and that's whose side we should all be on."

  "I think she has a very good point," Minerva put in, nodding knowingly at Jennifer.  The younger professor hardly wished to try and chose between the two on this issue.

  "Yes, you are quite right, Jennifer," Dumbledore agreed.  "What is important now is that Anna has the support and the guidance that she needs to gain control of her talents, and without undue pressure," he added, glancing back at Severus.  "She has things she can learn from each of us, as well as a thing or two she could probably teach us in return," he said, smiling at Jennifer.  "I'm sure as long as we give her the space she needs to rediscover herself, she'll adjust to her unique position without too much grievance.  Now that that is settled, perhaps you would like to sit down?"

  Severus frowned a moment as if he were going to say something else before sighing softly and sitting beside Jennifer, who gazed at her fiancé understandingly.  Minerva couldn't help but to smile at the girl's show of support.  Poor Jennifer, no one quite saw the world in the way she did, Minerva knew, and it wasn't just because of her Truth-seeking talent.  Even after two years of teaching, nearly getting killed countless times and being engaged to someone like Severus, nothing seemed to have diminished her naivety.  Of course, she had definitely matured in other ways; she seemed to have a lot more self-confidence now than she used to have.  And in the classroom, Minerva knew she had developed a firm but undeniably loving hand that seemed to bring out the best in most of the students.

  "I hear you had to rescue some students from certain doom today, but I haven't heard much detail as yet other than you ended up following them into the Chamber of Secrets," Dumbledore smiled at them.  "Who would like to enlighten me?"  Severus looked expectantly over at Jennifer.

  "Well, actually, most of the time we weren't in the Chamber at all.  We were in the hidden room behind it that was constructed by four of the founders' former apprentices just after Slytherin was murdered," Jennifer explained.  Minerva couldn't contain a look of surprise at the remark, finding herself staring at Jennifer with wonder.  Apparently, there was a lot more to this than she had originally thought.  Severus seemed mildly surprised as well.

  "Oh, really?  How are you so certain about who it was that built it?"  Dumbledore asked intrigued.

  "Well, when I got down there, Ron and Harry had gotten caught in some geometric paradox wards…the entire room seemed to be especially designed for them.  On the opposite side was a pedestal with an ornate box on it.  Fortunately Severus showed up and noticed that there was a second set of lines from the reflection off the ceiling, so he was able to find a way for me to get safely over…"

  "It's a good thing that he followed you then," Dumbledore's eyes twinkling.  Minerva looked at Dumbledore with amusement, and Severus smirked slightly.  Jennifer blushed.  "So you were able to get the box open, I assume?"

  "Yes, but it wasn't exactly what we had expected.  The students had thought, as did we when we got down there, that perhaps one of his apprentices might have actually been down there after he died and left a clue on how to find the Tomb for the next descendent to look for it.  But it was actually the opposite; the ones who left the box there were hoping to protect the school, that someone else would find the back room if an heir of Slytherin ever returned.  At the same time, they set the room up as a trap, so that if the heir did find the room first, he'd be trapped in the paradox, and if he did actually manage to get someone else down there with him, they wouldn't be able to get the box open.  There were certain conditions that had to be met to open it, least of which was the right blood.  Fortunately for all of us down there, I had it because Janus Craw, it seems, was more loyal to the school itself and the Ravenclaw apprentice than to Slytherin."  Jennifer paused thoughtfully. 

  "There was some sort of a pact, between four apprentices of differing houses…they didn't use their names, only called each other by a Quidditch position, and I think they must have been teachers at the school.  Strange, I'd never really thought the Keeper title had to do anything with the Quidditch reference.  I just thought it meant Keeper of the dark magic, which is what was passed down through my family through the eldest boy, and then to me.  Someone said during the memory that each family paid a price for helping to protect the school.  I suppose my family paid by having this dark legacy passed down.  Why, I'm not quite sure.  From what I understand the Craws went for several hundred years without having anything to do with the school in any way as far as I can tell."

  "What do you know of the other three?"  Dumbledore asked.

  "Well, the Gryffindor apprentice and the Hufflepuff apprentice really didn't say that much.  The Gryffindor they called the Seeker, and he was a grey-haired man, thoughtful, and from his face shared loyalty to both Godric, who it appears was still alive at that time, and the Beater, who was the Ravenclaw apprentice.  The woman, the one in the Hufflepuff robes, was a Chaser, and seemed to have a keen loyalty to the school and a great concern about the world in general.  The Beater…" Jennifer's voice failed suddenly, her face looking troubled about something.  "He was a Ravenclaw apprentice, but so much more than that.  The other three respected him deeply.

  What a waste, what a terrible waste," Jennifer said, muttering to herself and shaking her head.  Minerva knew her well enough to know they were unlikely to get much more out of her.  Something she saw had touched her somehow, had struck some sort of chord that Jennifer wasn't ready to deal with yet.  Instead of continuing, Jennifer took out her Puzzlebox, a special container with hidden knobs and hinges used by some to protect magic items from accidental use.  She then took out a dark red stained bottle, large enough to take up most of her hand.

  "The Beater made this from Salazar's blood, although I'm not certain what sort of potion it is," Jennifer explained, handing the bottle over to Severus, who viewed it with amazement and suspicion.  "And this was from the Chaser, an encrypted scroll, although the runes seem to indicate its geared for transfiguration."  Jennifer handed the rolled scroll to Minerva.

  She felt peculiar taking the scroll, a strange chill that didn't seem to want to leave her.  Minerva glanced at it thoughtfully, knowing it would take some time to figure out all of the old writings, wondering about the odd sense of déjà vu she was getting.  She used things all the time that were probably even older than this that came from the school's beginning, but somehow this was different…personal, almost.  Minerva glanced up to see Jennifer than take out an ornately framed mirror no more than two hands long, handing it over to Dumbledore, who took it reverently. 

  "And that is the Seeker's mirror, which I think goes to you, if I'm not mistaken," Jennifer said, before taking out a strangely cut gem about half the size of an apple.  It was clear, but not diamond, and not crystal either, Minerva mused, still very clear and nearly colorless in appearance.  "And this was the Keeper's, although I have no idea what it's for yet.  All I know is that these four items were left to protect the school.  They sealed them with their own memory, to make sure it got into the proper hands."  Jennifer looked at Dumbledore then, still holding the gem.  "Do you have any guesses on what all of these do?"

  "Well, I do have some suspicions, but I expect we should all do a fair amount of research on each of these before we jump to any conclusions," Dumbledore said, carefully setting down the mirror.  "I can at least guess who the Ravenclaw apprentice was, the Beater.  He was known as Professor Icarus the Mad, and both he and his family came to an ill fate indeed.  He had been Ravenclaw's adopted son, I believe."

   "I don't think he was mad," Jennifer said softly.  "But I can see why they would have thought so."

  "This still leaves us the problem of not knowing where the Tomb is," Severus pointed out.  "Unless this is another one of those things Dumbledore hasn't yet told us about."

  "I only know that it's not anywhere on the grounds, Severus.  If I had known the location before now, rest assured I would have made sure it was destroyed before Voldemort could find it.  It was not something I had really wanted to know in the past, I admit.  Still, there can be no doubt that there are many things, powerful things, protecting it, wherever it lies," said Dumbledore.

  "Sir, we do need to find it now, before it's too late.  We can't let Voldemort get a hold of the knowledge, let alone any power that might have been left there," Jennifer said, with a look of determination on her face.

  "Yes, and I'm sure if anyone can find it, you and Severus can.  You have my permission to start looking for it in your spare time."

  "That would depend on whether or not we ever _have_ spare time," Severus said, the irritation unmistakable.

  Jennifer looked at him nervously.  Jennifer never would have voiced that, Minerva knew, but even had Jennifer become more and more restless over the last few days as they had worked in the office.  Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, his fingers folded together, glancing over at Minerva with a questioning smile on his face.  Minerva nodded slightly, and then he nodded more perceptibly, looking back towards them.

  "Very well, I'm sure you've both more than made up for the fines and me having to deal with the board, although I do say if you ever do anything to rile up the board like that again I'll be quite tempted to let you try and talk yourselves out of it.  You do have more important things to do than paperwork and chasing rats, I suppose.  There are others who can do that.  And the Ministry seems to be appeased at the moment, if not a bit apologetic for the incident with Sirius this weekend. Also, Corey is safely with the school and his family has adjusted very well to his place in our society.  I think we are all ready to drop the matter."  Dumbledore said with a smile.  Jennifer brightened considerably, thanking him gratefully.  "You both be careful with this new project of yours, and keep me informed of your progress?  Oh, and on the progress of finding out about more about these items as well," he added.

  "Yes, Professor," Jennifer said cheerfully.

  "Mr. Jasper will be back again for the first game of the season in a couple of weeks to see the Gryffindor team, so don't be surprised if you see him again.  I expect he was a tad disappointed at the expedition game today," Dumbledore said, his eyes looking teasingly at Minerva.  Minerva didn't think it was funny.  He hadn't had to be the one sit there as Pummeler sat and told her over and over again what a pity it was they had got 'held up.' 

   There was a knock on the door and once again it opened, this time for Sirius Black, who was looking rather tired.  He stopped short, however, seeing Jennifer and Severus there.

  "Sorry, am I interrupting?" he asked, smiling apologetically.

  "Not at all, I think we've covered all the important points, haven't we?"  Dumbledore asked, peering quizzically at Jennifer who nodded and got up.  Severus got up after her, but was eyeing Sirius with a frown.  Jennifer paused studying Severus' face, then rolled her eyes and headed towards the door.

  "Something on your mind, Severus?"  Sirius said at last, not in the mood to try and figure out what had him going this time.

  "You have Forest patrol again tonight?"  Severus asked.

  "Remus is still down," Sirius said with a shrug, "As I'm sure you know."

  "Don't worry, Severus, I've asked Sirius to keep an extra eye on Anna.  She's perfectly safe," Dumbledore reassured him with a smile.

  "Hm.  Just as long as it's at a distance," Severus said in a low, warning tone.

  "Never fear, brother dear, your sister happens to utterly despise me.  Must run in the family," Sirius said, baiting him.

  "Now, Severus, Sirius, that is quite enough," Dumbledore intervened.  "I'm sure Sirius would be glad of sharing the evening Forest patrols with you again if you're concerned, although I assure you there's no reason to be.  Anna is just as capable of taking care of herself as Jennifer is."

  "Yes, that's what worries me," Severus said, taking one last glance at Sirius before heading down the stairs after Jennifer.  Minerva chuckled quietly to herself.

  "You know, I really think he's starting to warm up to me," Sirius said jokingly, leaning on one of the chairs.  "Although I seem to be doing little better getting Anna to do anything other than slam the door in my face.  I have to admit, Dumbledore, I'm getting quite jealous of Jake."

  "Jake, who's Jake?"  Minerva wondered, looking over at Sirius curiously.

  "I am," Sirius admitted.  "Only she doesn't know it.  She thinks I'm someone's familiar."  Minerva stared at him.

  "You aren't going to leave her in the dark like that, are you?  She's never going to trust you again if you do," Minerva warned him.

  "Well, right now I am just a serial murderer that somehow used my magic to convince the authorities I wasn't guilty.  Oh, I don't know if she actually really believes that, but the visit this morning she had with Severus didn't help," he muttered.

  "She won't listen to us on the matter either, and she usually listens to me," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, then smiled.  "I have an idea.  Wednesday, why don't you see if you can't arrange to be around, and I will ask Harry to go talk to her?  Perhaps an evening at Hagrid's?  I have a feeling if she sees you around Harry, things will improve to some degree."

  "All right, I'll try anything at this point.  I've been spending so much time in animal form lately I almost miss that huge bag of dog biscuits Severus got me for Christmas last year," Sirius grunted.  Minerva chuckled softly, while Dumbledore somehow maintained a straight face.

  "Minerva, remind me to talk to Severus about that one of these days," Dumbledore said.

  "Oh, don't worry about it, Dumbledore," Sirius grinned mischievously.  "I had it coming to me after what I sent him."  Minerva was afraid to ask.

  The week turned out to be cold and rainy, drumming endlessly in a slow, drenching persistence that seemed to dampen everyone's spirits.  Even the usually impervious Jennifer seemed affected, her normal levity replaced with brooding.  So Minerva asked her to lunch in her office, breaking out the tea set Jennifer had gotten her a couple years before.  And as Jennifer entered and gave her a weak smile, Minerva had little doubt something was on her mind.  She seemed to get lost in the process of stirring her tea and her eyes indicated her mind was far away.  It was a while before she noticed Minerva steadily watching her.

  "Sorry, Minerva," she blushed, sitting up a bit.  "I didn't mean to get distracted like that."

  "You're not letting all the fuss in the paper get to you, are you?  It isn't the first time the paper has tried to smear someone in this school, and it probably won't be the last.  It's best just to ignore it," Minerva suggested. 

  Ever since the Muggle incident, it had been as if the _Daily Prophet_ was literally going out of its way to find things on Professor Craw.  It had been the gossip column in Monday's paper that had the most interesting reaction; _Craw Photographed With Arms Around Other Man_, which an anonymous student had conveniently set open upon Severus' desk.  Severus had quickly excused himself for nearly fifteen minutes before he came back and decided to give them an impromptu test, explaining that since they had so much extra time to read, they must have had plenty of time to study the last chapter.

  "Oh, I'm ignoring it, Minerva.  Actually, I cancelled my subscription after Monday's incident.  I can't imagine who could have gotten that camera shot of me helping Remus to Hagrid's the other day.  And the misquotes of the trial last year where I'm supposed to be a dark witch, well, it's just plain silly.  That's not what's bothering me, actually, it's about something Corey asked the other day," she admitted.

  "Oh, no, what has he done this time?"  Minerva asked in annoyance.  "I still have one more detention lined up for him already."

  "Oh, it wasn't anything like that," Jennifer assured her quickly, "he just asked me who Voldemort was."

  "Oh," Minerva said, looking thoughtfully at Jennifer's guilty looking face.  "And this surprised you?"

  "It never occurred to me that anyone wouldn't know," Jennifer admitted, "so I questioned the class about it and it seems most the Muggles in the first year class didn't know anything past the fact he had something to do with the train incident, and that much they learned from other students…it was horrendous.  I started polling my other classes then, and the second year classes did hardly any better.  By third and fourth they'd heard enough to have some idea what was going on but still, there were a lot of rumors mixed in too.  I feel like I've failed them, Minerva, for never bringing it up, for not covering it.  They should have known it."  Minerva looked at her thoughtfully for a moment.

  "Jennifer, after you discovered this, what did you do about it?"  She asked.

  "Hm?  Oh, that's what I wanted to explain.  I pushed back my agenda a few days so I could get them all up to date on current events and the history behind them so they knew what was going on."  Jennifer said, slightly embarrassed.  Minerva smiled slightly.

  "Sounds like a very reasonable decision to me.  You know, one of the things that make a good teacher is the ability to adapt to the needs of the students.  That's one thing I've always noticed about you; if you feel there is something that needs covered outside the book, you've never had any reservations about covering it.  Come to think of it, I can't think of a time after the first week of school last year that you stayed on your lesson plan within two weeks of it," she chuckled, looking at her steadily.  "Not that we don't have some good 'by the book' teachers, mind you, but the subject you are teaching needs to be flexible.  You did the right thing, Jennifer.  But you shouldn't beat yourself for not seeing it earlier; even teachers are allowed to miss things.  Of course, you should try not to be too obvious to the students about it," Minerva winked, "you know how they try to take advantage."  Jennifer sipped her tea, setting it down again slowly.

  "Minerva, do you think I'm a purist?" Jennifer asked softly.

  "Jennifer, I thought you weren't listening to the papers," Minerva frowned at her.  "Purists don't normally almost lose their licenses by teaching a willing under aged Muggle student magic."

  "I suppose not," Jennifer said, grinning weakly.  "Surprising the papers haven't brought that Muggle thing up yet."

  "Oh, give them time," Minerva chuckled, shaking her head.  "I'm glad at least you're taking that with a grain of salt."

  "What else can I do?"  Jennifer shrugged.  "Honestly, I'm a bit surprised Severus is dealing with it as well as he is."

  "Well, Severus has had his share of this sort of twisted reporting himself from time to time," Minerva explained with amusement.

  "It makes it even more difficult to teach current events with lies spouting off in the local paper like that," Jennifer said in annoyance, then suddenly looked up with a grin.  "You know, what it needs is some decent competition."  Minerva looked over at Jennifer suspiciously.  "What do you think, Minerva?  How about a school paper?  I can try to get some staff and student volunteers and we can cover in school things, as well as current events, and maybe even a Muggle section for current events there?"

  "I think it's a brilliant idea, Jennifer, but do you realize how much work would be involved in that?  Finding people, setting it up, getting stories, editing…" Jennifer just nodded and kept on grinning, and Minerva quickly saw there was going to be little she could say to dissuade her from doing this if Minerva said yes.  "You can't possibly try to take this on by yourself.  We will have Severus chomping at the bit again for sure."

  "Does that mean you're going to help me?"  Jennifer asked sweetly.

  "Jennifer, I'm sure you know by the last few weeks how much work I have to do all ready," Minerva said sternly.  "Especially with Dumbledore being called away so much."

  "You still have time for your sewing," Jennifer pointed out.

  "I _make_ time for my sewing," Minerva said.

  "And I _make_ time to spend with Severus.  And I help you with your sewing," Jennifer said.  Minerva drummed her fingers on her desk, looking over at her.

  "Very well, I'll help you get set up and supervise, but that is it.  After I clear this with Dumbledore, that is," she added.

  "Thanks, Minerva!  This is going to be fun," Jennifer grinned at her.  "And maybe a little truthful reporting around here could help everyone get a look at what's really going on."  Minerva looked at her thoughtfully, pondering on what it was she had just got herself into.


	15. Cans of Worms

Chapter Fifteen

Cans of Worms

  The dreary rain seemed to continue on and off over the next few weeks, but Jennifer was too busy inside to notice.  The announcement at dinner about the newspaper had gotten immediate interest, and Jennifer and Minerva had been able to quickly set up the newspaper staff.  Annoyingly, Severus expressed complete disinterest in the project, but Anna had more than made up for it, offering to help with the Muggle section along with Lori Bates and Taylor Brittle, both first year Ravenclaws.  Dean Thomas quickly jumped in to do the sports article, and Madam Trelawney offered to do the horoscope.  Hermione, the head student editor, somehow managed to talk Ron into helping report, along with Neville and Amadeus Longbottom, neither one particularly happy to see the other there.  Jennifer handpicked several others to round out the houses, making sure each had the same representation until there was four of each house.  She had tried to avoid using Quidditch players, since most of the work on the paper would be done during practice on Sundays, but when Draco and Justin both volunteered their time and cameras to the effort, Jennifer couldn't refuse.  At last, work on _The Veritable Wizard Biweekly _began, sorting out teams and trying to pick subjects for their first issue, which they decided would come out on Halloween.

  Monday mornings were spent grueling over old tomes in the library, looking for information on Icarus, Janus, and the other apprentices as well as Mallus Craw's history, hoping for some clues.  Severus would often join her at lunchtime, helping her sort through lists. 

  "I wonder if the Chaser might have been old Caprica Dusthorn," Severus said thoughtfully.

  "She was one of the first Headmasters, right?  There's probably a painting somewhere.  I'll know her if I see her," Jennifer said.  "And I've got the Seeker narrowed down to either George de Mimsy the Charms instructor or Bedivere O'Laren from Symbology.  Icarus Ravenclaw was the Potions Master, little surprise there, but according to this, he had an 'uncanny' talent for foresight.  Janus Craw taught Dark Arts for nearly fifty years when they changed the agenda to Defense Against the Dark Arts, and he 'promptly left and was never seen by the school again.'"

  "Now that definitely sounds like a Craw," Severus teased with a smirk.  "Come on, let's see if we can't find that painting."

  "Maybe we should ask Filch," Jennifer suggested as they left the library.

  "Good idea.  This way," Severus nodded.  "You know, when I spoke to your father yesterday, he hinted that Audi said there were several heirlooms in your vault, some of them from Mallus Craw's time.  Perhaps it's time we took a look."  Jennifer glanced up at him thoughtfully.  "I know you've been avoiding getting into it, but speed is a factor, and if there's any chance there's something in there, we should look into it."

  "You're right, of course.  How about we go down Sunday before the game, unless you have patrol on Saturday?"

  "No, mine is tonight and tomorrow.  So, if you'd like to go for a walk…" he paused as he heard footsteps behind him, and Corey ran up, panting.

  "Professor Craw?  Did you buy it?" he asked out of breath, looking excited.

  "Huh?  What are you talking about, Corey?"  Jennifer asked puzzled.

  "Taylor was in the library when Hermione was talking to Madame Pince, and they mentioned Haven's Bluff, and a' course Taylor knew I was from Haven's Bluff, and she said they'd sold the house, so I was wondering if you bought it." he asked.

  "Corey Willowby, I swear I've told you a dozen times all ready about gossip in this school," Jennifer said, hands on her hips.

  "Well, yes, but this was personal.  Almost.  I mean, that's a neighbor, and neighbor's are like family almost, right?"  Corey grinned.

  "No, Corey, I didn't buy the house," she said.  His face fell in disappointment.  "And if you'd spend even half the time you spend gossiping on your homework, you'd be doing a heck of a lot better in my class than you are."

  "Did we have homework?" he asked distractedly.

  "You have a test on perceptions tomorrow," Jennifer frowned at him.

  "Oh yeah, but it's not like I don't know all that stuff anyhow. I already read it once.  I wish you could have gotten the house.  But at least I get to see you at school," he added, glancing up the hall where his friends were waiting.  "Sorry to keep you, got to get ready for Sprout's class!"  Jennifer sighed in exasperation, watching the boy run up the hall.

  "I swear, he has all that energy and none of it ever goes into his school work.  His homework is always late, I really have to sit on him to get him to do anything.  His spells are perfect though, he just doesn't like the writing work."  Jennifer complained as Severus and she picked the pace up again.

  "I think he is probably just taking advantage of you.  I never have a bit of trouble with him in my class," he said.

  "I am by no means lenient on him," Jennifer said defensively.  "What am I supposed to do, chain him to the floor after class until he gets his homework done?"

  "That would be a start," Severus smirked softly.  "By the way, how come you didn't mention to me that the Broom Closet was up for sale?"  Jennifer glanced up at him, but he was a step in front of her, and she picked up the pace to catch up.

  "Why would I?  Does it matter?" Jennifer shrugged.

  "It might have," Severus said calmly.  "I know how hard you worked getting that place in order."

  "Well, sure, I had to make it livable, after all.  But I knew it was just a rental, it's no big deal.  Besides, I know how much you disliked that cottage."  Severus turned around to look at her, folding his arms.

  "I never said I didn't like it.  In fact, I recall commenting on how much I liked the cellar." 

  "You commented that the basement was bigger than the house.  That wasn't exactly complementary." Jennifer said in annoyance.

  "What I want to know is how you feel about it," he asked with equal annoyance, drumming his fingers against his arm.

  "It was a rental, it didn't mean anything to me, okay?  Now would you drop it?"  Jennifer said, going around him to get to Filch's office.

  "Have it your way, then.  I'll just to put it up for resale," Severus snapped.  Jennifer turned slowly back around, studying his face in disbelief.

  "You bought it?  I thought…how did you find out about it?"  Jennifer asked.

  "Oh, a student might have casually mentioned it to me at some point.  Probably just trying to get on my good side," he said, waving it off.  "Of course, if I knew you were going to act this way about it…"

  Glancing down the side corridors quickly to make sure no one was around, Jennifer leaned up and kissed him lovingly, receiving a cautious kiss in return.  It was just then that the door to Filch's office popped open and he looked out.

  "Oh, good gawd, how disgusting is that?  Bad enough catchin' the students at it.  Ain't you both got enough sense t' come out of the hallways either?" Filch asked as Jennifer whipped quickly around, face bright red with embarrassment.  "Least pick someone else's hallway next time.  I just et," he grumbled, heading back inside.  Suddenly they heard loud kissing noises followed by a mad giggle.

  "Snape and Craw were snogging in the hall!"  Peeves sang, his vapory form heading quickly out of range.

  "The one time we're not behind an office door, and Peeves is there," Severus muttered.  "We'll never hear the end of it."

  "Not to mention we'll have to sit through another one of Minerva's professor conduct lectures," Jennifer added with a sigh.

  "I can already hear it now," Severus grimaced.  "At least now I know you're glad I bought the house.  But we really need to find that painting if we're going to do it today, we don't have much time before our next classes."

  "Right," Jennifer quickly agreed, reluctantly heading into Filch's office. 

  Peeves, however, was far from ready to let the matter go.  In fact, after taking a tour of the castle singing his new song down every corridor and to everyone he passed, he hovered back up to where they were standing in the trophy room beside one of the paintings there, making loud kissing noises.  Severus excused himself for a moment, leaving Jennifer who was trying to ignore the annoying poltergeist, while Filch sniggered softly.

  "Well, it's yer own fault, ya know.  Bet McGonagall will have say something when she gets wind of it," Filch said.

  "Oh come on, Filch, lay off, haven't you ever been in love, even once?" Jennifer asked, hands on her hips.  Filch squinted at her menacingly as Peeves burst out in rolling laughter.

  "I know!  I know!"  Peeves said, "You'll never guess who he had a crush on, it was –"

  "_PEEVES!_"  A loud voice bellowed out so outraged that even Jennifer jumped.  The Bloody Baron, ghost of Slytherin house and the only one who could manage to keep Peeves in line, appeared in horrifying clarity coming in the doorway, followed by Severus.  "How _DARE_ you taunt the head of Slytherin house!  Have you forgotten already what happened the last time you made that mistake?" he boomed, his eyes flashing.  Peeves quickly darted out of the room with a whimper, closely followed by the Baron, hot on his tail.  Severus then walked up with a smug look on his face, putting a hand on Jennifer's stiffened shoulder.  Filch sniggered again.

  "Well, that should take care of that for awhile," Severus said, glancing around.  "That's her, isn't it?" Severus asked, pointing at the picture above the door.

  "Yep, that's the one.  She don't move much no more, pretty sleepy that one.  Probably needs some repair to it," Filch grunted. 

  Jennifer glanced up at the picture, immediately recognizing the woman.  She was much older in the picture, Jennifer realized, by many years, but there could be no mistaking the eyes.

  "That's definitely her," Jennifer said with a nod.  "So the only one we don't know now is the Gryffindor.  Either George de Mimsy or Bedivere O'Laren."

  "Dunno as I've seen either of 'em by name, but maybe George is related to Nicolas somehow?" Filch suggested.

  "Good idea.  Thanks for the help Filch," Jennifer smiled warmly, glancing at the watch.  Severus nodded to him as well as they headed out of the room.

  "Any time.  Good luck keeping Peeves quiet," he sneered at them, glancing back up at the picture thoughtfully.

  Jennifer and Severus turned down the back stairs, veering off at the second floor landing where Jennifer headed quickly to the classroom just in time for her double Defense period.  Quickly she got the class started on the chapter on Dementors, wraiths and spectres, and was in the middle of her lecture on their different aspects when Peeves waltzed in.

  "Professor Craw was snogging in the hall," he started to sing over and over again.  The class began to chuckle as Jennifer put her hands on her hips, looking over at him in annoyance, gesturing at Julie to close the door.

  "All right, class, let's skip back a couple chapters to page eighty-seven and someone can get some practice in," she said, as the students grinned and turned to the chapter on poltergeists.  "Let's try the one on the bottom of the page, shall we?  David, why don't you try it?  On my nod, one, two…"

 "_Tetera  reversus_!"  He called out, pointing at the poltergeist.  A flash of light bathed around him, but nothing appeared to happen. 

   Peeves chuckled, pointed at the boy, and said, "Peeves is a trouble-maker!"  Peeves blinked in surprise as the class started laughing.  "Peeves is a nosey nuisance!  Peeves is a nosey nuisance!" he sang, looking frustrated as everyone started laughing again.  Suddenly books started flying in the classroom off the students' desks, but all headed straight for the poltergeist.  Crying out in surprise, Peeves ran for the door, passing through it just as the books came banging against it, falling to the floor.

  "Ten points for Hufflepuff, well done, David," Jennifer chuckled with satisfaction as she gestured lightly with her wand to put the room back in order once more.

    On Saturday the rain finally turned into a miserable drizzle, tapering off by the time that Jennifer, Hermione and Ron finally finished the layout for the first newspaper and headed to the Quidditch Pitch to meet up with Harry and Ginny, bringing a copy with them for Anna to look at.  The lake had risen and mud puddles abounded, but Jennifer and the students walked safely over to the cottage with the footprint spell, hardly even noticing it except for one stray remark.

  "Look at the Quidditch stands now!  They're totally covered, after all that work we did a few weeks ago scrubbing them," Ron muttered in annoyance.  "They're even worse now than before our detention!"

  "Don't blame me, it's not like I chose to make it rain after you finished your work.  And you all did such a nice job too," Jennifer said expressionlessly, knocking on the door.  She wasn't about to tease them about it, but she wasn't going to play to their sympathy either.  Detention wasn't supposed to be easy.

  Hagrid opened the door cheerfully and they went in, warmly greeting Anna as they came in, Hermione immediately handing her over the layout for her to look at.

  "How are you doing, Hagrid?  Bet you're glad the rain stopped," Jennifer grinned at him.  Hagrid's small house had been filled with lightening cats, who had positively refused to leave and had completely interrupted last week's dinner, zapping the ankles of anyone who wouldn't listen to their pleas for table scraps. 

  "Wull, I dunno, I was sorta gettin' use ta havin' em all inside, but Fang didn't like 'em much, so he's glad I'd say."  Hagrid said. 

  Anna didn't say anything, but couldn't help being glad of them being gone as well, although she never had a trouble with them shocking her.  Her keen dislike of animals had not really dissipated any since she had arrived, although she had developed a tolerance to some that she couldn't get rid of.  Jake was the only exception to that rule, and even he had taken a long time for her to get used to.  But the dog would not go away, sometimes sticking around late into the night, even in the pouring rain.  She had finally given up and let the dog in, glad to have someone to talk at who didn't answer back.  What was strange was that the dog always seemed to be actually _listening_, and some of his reactions were eerily human.  She was quite certain there must have been something magic about him, but wasn't quite sure what.  Anna was also beginning to wonder if he didn't feel the same way about humans as she did about animals, for he always left the room when Remus or Dumbledore or Jennifer came to visit, and always hid when Severus came over.  In any case, she had come to finally accept him, even to the point of missing him if for whatever reason he didn't come that day.  She was having little luck finding out who he belonged to, so that still remained a mystery to her.  Even Harry wouldn't tell her, although he asked about the dog often.

  "So, what do you think?"  Hermione asked Anna, bringing her thoughts back to the paper.

  "Looks really good, for a school paper," Anna commented, reading some of the first page, which featured an article entitled, _Daily Prophet Journalist Integrity Questioned._

"For a school paper?"  Hermione said with irritation.  "But it needs to be _more_ than that.  It needs to be convincing."

  "Then you need to change some of these words around.  There's nothing convincing about an intransitive verb.  Got a pen?"  Anna started making a few notes as Hermione peered over, and Jennifer found herself tuning back into the conversation going on between Harry and Hagrid.

  "Well, I'm just not sure that's what I want to do," Harry said, "I mean, I suppose it could be fun being on a real Quidditch team, but, somehow I thought I'd be cheating myself."  Ron looked at Harry as if he were insane.  Jennifer also saw that Ron often thought that opportunities came way too easy for Harry, but could see how he might easily benefit from knowing a professional Quidditch player.  Thoughts of being an agent came to mind.

  "Oh, come on, Harry, you know you want to do it, and you'd be famous, you know.  I mean, even more than you already are, and you'd make a fortune," Ron said.

  "That might be alright for Justin, but I'm just don't think it's right for me, especially with Voldemort…" Harry said.

  "Harry, you can not plan your entire life around if Voldemort lives or dies, that's just insane.  What are you going to do, put your life on hold for years at a time?"  Ron asked.  Jennifer suddenly felt uncomfortable, glancing at her engagement ring, which was showing her its normal faint blue color.  She and Severus had been doing exactly that themselves in a way, so she could see where Harry was coming from just as much as Ron.

  "Harry can do anythin' he sets his mind ta.  If ya wanna play, play.  If ya don't wanna,  don't feel like you hafta.  It's not like anybody'd ever turn ya down for a job no matter what ya wanna do," Hagrid said, putting a cauldron of stew on the table.

  "Snape told me he thinks the only reason they would even offer me a contract would be to fill seats because I was famous and not anything to do with my playing.  He said the scout wasn't even paying attention at the last game, he was too busy talking to McGonagall." Harry said.

  "Oh, come on, now Harry, you don't really believe that, do you?  I mean, everyone knows you were the youngest Seeker here in a century.  You can spin circles around everyone else out there," Ginny protested.  There was a knock on the door.

  "Harry, you know I agree with Hagrid and Ginny that this is totally up to you," Jennifer said, getting up to answer the door.  "But as much as I understand why you might be enthusiastic about the idea, you should probably ask yourself what's really important." 

  Jennifer opened the door to see Sirius standing there, his smile warm and cheerful even though she could tell something was on his mind.  He entered before she could question it though, greeting her warmly.

  "Good evening, Jennifer.  How is my favorite dragon tamer?  Evening, Hagrid, Harry and company," Sirius said, smiling at Anna, who nodded slightly towards him.  "Brought you some things from town, Hagrid, sorry I'm late," he added, setting his bags down and sitting down next to Harry and Ginny.  His eyes wandered back over to Anna, who was still working with Hermione on the paper.  Jennifer was watching Sirius carefully to try and figure out what he had been thinking about when he came in, so was suddenly aware of the wistfulness behind the long thoughtful glance.  Anna looked up then, staring at him a moment before turning back to Hermione.  There was a strangeness to her look as well, Jennifer noted, as if she were arguing with herself on whether or not to trust him.  Jennifer glanced across at Harry, who was trying to think of something to say to end the sudden silence.

  "So how's the paper looking, guys?" Jennifer said, glancing over at Anna and Hermione.  They handed over the heavily marked sheet, and Jennifer scanned the work with a nod, handing it back.

  "It just needs tightening up," Anna said.

  "I'll probably have to spend most of tomorrow fixing these," Hermione said thoughtfully, not noticing Ron's dirty look.  "But I do think you're right, this does read a lot better."  There was a soft knock at the door.

  "I'll get it, Hagrid.  It's Severus," Jennifer said, getting up, and answering it.  Severus peered in suspiciously when she answered, glancing to see who was here.  "Hello, what's up?"

  "It's getting late.  I thought I would check up on things," Severus said, looking at the students with a scowl.  "Don't you think they should be getting back?  As should you?  Don't forget we need to go to the Alley tomorrow."

  "I know, I know, we'll be along in a moment," Jennifer assured him.

  "I could walk you back if you like, Anna," Severus offered, his glance at Sirius revealing that he wasn't sure he was capable of doing it.  Sirius glowered at him.  Anna quickly got up, hugging Hagrid and thanking him warmly before heading out the door.  Jennifer hid a chuckle as she shut the door behind them.

   "You know, Sirius," Jennifer said, feeling mischievously brave, "she is a Snape at heart, but if she's anything like Severus, I'm sure she'll warm up eventually."  Sirius stared at Jennifer.  "Don't give me that, I'm a Truth Seeker.  Admit it, you like her.  I'm not going to tell Severus."

  "Well, of course I like her but as to what you're getting at, I'm only trying to make friends to make my job of protecting her easier." Sirius said defensively.

  "I thought that's what the whole excuse about the dog act was," Jennifer taunted.  Hagrid, Harry and the rest of the students started looking back and forth between them.  "Seems to me since she doesn't trust you, it'd be easier to just stay that way while protecting her."

  "Well, I usually do, actually, but it's going to come out eventually and I'd rather not have her despising me at the time she finds out," Sirius said irritably.

  "Why?" Jennifer asked.  "I mean, you don't go out of your way to make anyone like you, I've watched you.  They either accept you for who you are or they don't.  And how come you never flirt with her when you flirt with every other girl you meet?  This sounds awful serious to me."

  Sirius looked her straight in the eye and sat there for a moment, well aware that everyone else was looking at him expecting him to say something. 

  "She doesn't like me.  She doesn't trust me.  She's only putting up with me when Harry is around.  Well, in human form anyhow," he added.  "So unless you think you can dig in that little head of hers and find out what's going on, it doesn't matter what I think."

  "I think I know why she doesn't trust you," Harry said, looking over at Sirius.  "I'm sorry, I was going to mention it before, but she was here.  The reason she came to Britain in the first place was to look for you…when I was staying at the Cauldron, that's when she went in Diagon Alley, trying to find you.  She's done all sorts of research for her job for it," he explained.  "I think she'd trust her own reasoning over anyone else's if they contradicted her own opinion, no matter who it is."

  "Severus is the same way," Jennifer agreed.  "I'm sure that's it.  We need to find out what the Muggles think about you, Sirius," Jennifer suggested.  "Bet that's where we get some answers."

  "So go talk to her then.  I certainly can't," Sirius said.

  "I can't go tonight.  Severus and I need to go out tomorrow.  We're trying to locate some information on the Tomb," she explained.  "We think there might be something in the Craw vault that could give us a lead, or at least get us information on the four apprentices that were down in the Chamber after he died."  The four students looked over at her with interest.

  "What have you found out so far?" Hermione asked.

  "Not much, only the names of three of them, but we still don't know the Seeker, we got it narrowed down to two though…George de Mimsy and Bedeviere O'Laren." She admitted.

  "Any relation to Nearly Headless Nick?" Ginny asked.

  "We haven't asked him yet, haven't had time," Jennifer admitted.

  "Let us ask him for you then.  We get along really well with him, even went to his Deathday party," Harry offered.  Jennifer looked at them for a long moment.

  "All right, but if Severus finds out, I'll deny I knew about it."

  "Who were the other three?" Hermione insisted, her face intent on going on another book hunt.

  "Caprica Dusthorn, she was a Headmaster, Janus Craw, of course, and Icarus Ravenclaw."

  "Mad Ick?  Mad Ick was involved in the Chamber of Secrets?" Sirius popped in, his face in complete surprise.  "You have _got_ to be joking.  What an dreary, annoying, doomsayer he is!"  Jennifer squinted at Sirius.

  "You are saying you know him?" she asked.

  "Only too well," Sirius said, his voice betraying his bitterness.  He shook himself out of it, looking back at Jennifer.  "He's one of the ghosts at Azkaban.  But if you can get anything out of that spook other than the world is coming to an end, I'll be surprised."

  "That sounds like the right Icarus to me," Jennifer said excited, looking up at Hagrid.  "I don't suppose you could take ground Quidditch patrol tomorrow?"  Jennifer asked with a sweet smile.

  "If you promise ta watch my creatures next week while I'm gone, like ya did last year.  I hafta be gone by Tuesday," Hagrid said.  Jennifer nodded, having some idea where he was heading.

  "All right, deal.  That'll give us time to head to the prison tonight," Jennifer said.

  "Then who's going to find out about Anna?" Sirius asked, looking around.

  "Leave it to us," Hermione said with a smile.  "We'll talk to her."

  "Well, get her to come to the school then, you know you guys aren't supposed to be out there without an escort.  Come on, let's get you back," Jennifer said, not noticing the quick look the four of them exchanged.  "I'll come by tomorrow evening so you can fill me in on the beasties Hagrid."

  "Alright then.  Goodnight you guys," Hagrid waved as the five of them headed out.  Sirius closed the door behind them, turning back to the packages he had brought.


	16. Goblins and Ghosts

Chapter Sixteen

Goblins and Ghosts

   Jennifer couldn't help being a bit excited as they headed towards Gringotts Bank the next morning, her curiosity getting the better of her.  Her father had been vague about her dowry vault's contents, only being apologetic about it not being more since he had lost so much money investing in some bad business deals with Lucius Malfoy.  But Jennifer really wasn't interested in wealth anyhow, only the heirlooms taken from their old estate.  She knew there would be cursed and enchanted items, something that extremely interested her since she was little.  She had often dreamed of making her own enchanted items, wrote out fine inventions on paper as she was growing up, but her strange aversion to any but black magic put a damper on that ambition.  Cursed items were fascinating, and interesting to try and figure out and dispel, but nothing she'd want to make herself.  Still, it was this interest that prompted her to go into teaching potions and items just a year out of school, a new teacher's license in her hand.  If it hadn't been for that, she thought, perhaps she'd never have taught at all.

  Severus took out the letter her father had given them to release the vault to her and Jennifer took out the key, showing them to the goblin at the desk who quickly ushered towards the carts.  Jennifer was thrilled to find out the vault was in one of the lower levels, loving the sensation of speeding through the tunnels, trying to keep track of the different turns and bumps along the way.  Finally they arrived at the right vault and stepped out of the cart, and Jennifer handed the key over to the goblin.

  "You must stand with me behind the door please.  This vault is cursed and a Craw must see it first."  The goblin said.  Severus immediately moved over unconcernedly.  Jennifer, however, was less than enthusiastic about that last bit, and waited suspiciously as the goblin opened the vault.

  The first thing she saw was a pair of eyes, watching her suspiciously.

   Holding up her lantern, she saw it came from a painting that was nestled in a pile of galleons that came up to her shoulder…and it wasn't the only pile.  Reminding herself that she had to breathe, Jennifer took a step forward, gazing at the painting of Mallus Craw. She carefully picked it up and made it face towards the wall, glancing around in total awe.  Items were scattered throughout the vault in haphazard fashion, some littered among piles of coinage, making Jennifer feel like she was standing on a dragon's horde.  If it hadn't been for the picture of Mallus, she would have sworn that this couldn't possibly have been her vault.  This was her father's idea of meager?  She suddenly thought of her own much smaller vault and the small pile of sickles lying there, and shook her head again, remembering suddenly that Severus was standing outside.

  "It's safe…I think," Jennifer said, her voice unusually shaky.   He appeared in the doorway, looking around expressionlessly.

  "Hm.  I see this is going to take some time," he said thoughtfully.

  "You and your understatements!" Jennifer flailed, totally overwhelmed.  "I have no idea where to start."  Severus put on some gloves, setting his lantern casually down on one of the coin piles.

  "Well, cover the paintings and mirrors and books and get out your Puzzlebox, and we'll see how many items we can manage to take with us.  If you see anything familiar, grab it." Severus said, taking out his wand.

  "Whoever said dark magic doesn't pay must not have known my family," Jennifer muttered, taking some dust cloths out of her Puzzlebox.

  It took them a better part of an hour to fill the box, carefully minimizing several of the bigger pieces once they were certain it would have no ill effect to cast on them.  Books, scrolls, and papers went first, the most obvious items to have clues, with some miscellaneous things in afterwards.  The goblin glared at them impatiently but said nothing, closing the door behind them as they came out.

  "We're going to need to speak with Dumbledore about where to store some of these," Severus commented after they got out of the cart and back on their own two feet.  "Until we've completely gone through them, I wouldn't feel safe with them in our rooms or offices."

  "Maybe Dad knows what some of them do," Jennifer suggested.  "Maybe we can talk Boltin into letting us see him."

  "Let's drop your Puzzlebox off in Dumbledore's study first," Severus suggested.  "I could see trying to get through security with that on us."  Jennifer couldn't help but chuckle.

  Boltin hadn't been expecting to see them this week, so was quite surprised when he was called up to security to talk to them.

  "I thought you visited your father last weekend?" he asked curiously.

  "Actually, we're here to see someone else," Jennifer said.  "Although if we could somehow manage to see Dad too, that'd be great," she hinted with a grin.  "We're here to see one of the resident ghosts.  Ever heard of a ghost that goes by 'Mad Ick'?" she asked.  Boltin made a face.

  "Yeah, everybody knows him.  He's a ray of sunshine," Boltin snorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  "Why would anyone want to talk to him?  Bad enough he follows people around and tells people how doomed everyone is without encouraging him."

  Boltin lead them down to the lower levels of the fortress, following a strange, back and forth path between several staircases to finally reach the dungeon level.  It was very cold and damp, and a strange dreariness held in the air, as if the effect of the Dementors presence of yesteryears had never washed cleanly away from the place.

  "This is the crypt section of the dungeon, where we lay to rest prisoners if no one claims them," Boltin told them.  "Mad Ick is usually down here if he's not causing trouble upstairs.  He claims it cheers him up," Boltin said, glancing in the individual cells where the vaults were kept.  About four down he stopped, pointing them inside. 

  Sitting on a stone coffin in the center of the room was a somber apparition, apparently reading the epitaphs off the vaults.  He was still wearing the same Ravenclaw robes that Jennifer had seen in the memory, but slightly crumpled and wrinkled with a large stain of splashed liquid across the front and one of his sleeves.

  "Icarus, there are some folks here to see you," Boltin told the ghost.  Icarus glanced up then looked back down again.

  "These people are alive.  I'm not in the mood to talk to living people today.  They depress me," he said, sighing dramatically for emphasis.  He did seem rather depressed, but Jennifer couldn't help but sense that part of it was an act and he was actually more interested than he pretended.

  "Oh, come now, I brought them all the way down into this dank quarter to see you.  You can at least talk to them.  It's not like you don't have time to spare."  Boltin said, teasing good-naturedly.

  "Tell them to come back when they're dead," Icarus grunted.

  "Sorry, Professors, I tried to warn you," Boltin said with a shrug.

  "Professors?"  Icarus said, finally intrigued, "from Hogwarts?"

  "The current Keeper and Beater, actually," Jennifer put in, and the ghost stood and floated over to them, eyeing them carefully.

  "I see," he said at last.  "You, then, must be Jennifer Craw, Thomas' daughter.  I never thought a day would come that a Craw would be a Hogwarts professor again.  And if you're the Beater, I expect you must be Severus Snape," he said, frowning at them.  "I always knew it would come down to this, but no one would listen.  No, no one listens to 'Mad Ick,' I am but a pain in their side now.  Most of them have no idea what burdens I bear, or even care.  The living only care about the living, no matter how maddeningly close they get to dooming themselves to an eternity of despair, it matters not so long as they aren't forced to listen to someone warning them of what lies ahead."

  "Well, we're listening," Jennifer said, trying not to get impatient.  "Could you tell us where Salazar's Tomb is?" Icarus gazed at her.

  "What do you mean, where is it?  You're the Keeper!  You're supposed to be guarding it, and you don't know where it is?" he asked in an apparent panic.  "This is a complete catastrophe!  That means he might have found it by now…or not," Icarus said thoughtfully, "after all, there is still a Keeper alive, and that is something."

  "Well it hasn't been for the lack of him trying to correct that," Severus muttered.

  "I think I'm surrounded."  Jennifer sighed.  "Look, I don't know, and neither does Dad, and as far as I know there hasn't been a Craw who's known since Mallus Craw was executed.  Surely you know where it is, considering…"

  "Considering what?" Icarus snapped, drawing himself up to hover above them.

  "That's not going to work with me," Jennifer said.  "Believe me, we have far scarier ghosts at Hogwarts.  I opened the box, I know all about what you did, and I could never be afraid of anyone who's so afraid of who he is that he'll kill everyone associated with him and himself to keep from dealing with his problems."

   "How dare you speak to me that way?" Icarus said angrily, glaring at her at surprise.  "You speak of things you nothing of.  You weren't there.  You didn't see what I did, nor did you have the choice I had to make."

  "I would not have made the choice you made, regardless," Jennifer said coldly.  "Nor am I here to listen to you wallow in your own self pity.  I would very much like to get to the Tomb before your father's descendant does.   Are you going to help us or not?"

  "I see you Craws haven't changed much over the years; always judgmental, always ready to dispense your own justice in your own way," Icarus said, taking a step to the side but still keeping his eyes on her.  "It's a wonder you ever survived this long.  Unfortunately for you, even if I were willing to help, I would have to explain to you that my family and I died before my father's body was even found.  Your family was assigned to guard that area, apparently it has failed miserably."

  "At least my family had a chance to live and find that out," Jennifer retorted impatiently.  "Fine, if you don't know, we'll find it, but you could at least tell us something about the items you four left behind."

  "I don't know why I should, the way you keep insulting me," the ghost said, attempting to look indignant.

  "You don't look a bit insulted.  You think I'm amusing and also think I'm too idealistic and young and need a dose of reality.  But regardless of what you think, we'll manage, with or without your help.  So stay here and feel sorry for yourself as you like, but I have better things to do," Jennifer said turning around with every intention of leaving.

  "One moment," Icarus said, floating closer, watching her turn around with a stern, searching look on his face.  "Is she always like this?" he asked Severus.

  "No," Severus said calmly, "Only when she knows she's right."

  "Well, then, I'm happy for you it's not too often," Icarus said, crossing his arms and looking back at Jennifer.  "The Beater's potion should be drank by the person he trusts the least.  It contains a gift, a protection, and a price.  The Keeper's gem is a protection to be used when the Keeper is at her darkest moment.  The Keeper's family already received the gift and the price.  The Seeker's mirror contains a secret worth keeping, a secret worth revealing, and a secret worth using.  The Chaser's scroll contains a secret knowledge, a knowledge worth passing on, and a knowledge worth using.  Now if you don't mind, I think I'm going to see if I can go kill myself again.  I knew I shouldn't have spoken with the living today," he said, and promptly passed through a wall.

  "I warned you he wouldn't be much help," Boltin said as they headed out of the corridor, "But if I'd known how that conversation was going to go beforehand, I might have tried warning him as well."

  "I suppose I was a little short with him," Jennifer admitted.  "But I have very little tolerance for that sort of ilk."  Severus glanced thoughtfully at her but kept unusually quiet as they headed back up to the main floor.

  Boltin, understanding but strict about the rules, only let them talk to Jennifer's father for a moment, just long enough to update him on what they were working on.

  "Most of those items won't hurt you, Jennifer, the heirlooms are mostly made to order," Thomas told them, "But be very careful of the painting.  If you chose to talk to him at all, don't ever try talking to him alone.  That painting was made at the height of his power, never trust it."  Armed with that advice, the two of them made their way out of the prison and back towards the school.

  Harry and Ginny were having similar luck with Sir Nicolas, for although he was willing to help out didn't seem to know anything about a secret pact, which, he supposed, wasn't surprising, because if a Gryffindor _had_ made a secret pact, surely he would have kept it a secret.

  "My great grandfather he was, yes, apprenticed under Gryffindor himself.  Taught Charms, I believe.  Didn't stay with the school very long, however, you see, took up a position as a court wizard back in the good old days when it was still in style to have our folk about.  Married a Muggle lady, in point of fact, we lived there for years.  Always had ties to the school though, of course, and we all went here.  Pity I wasn't able to carry on the family line," Nicolas told them soberly.  "Say, I hear you all might stay for Christmas this year, is that true?  Should be quite interesting having so many people about for the holidays."

  "I have heard rumors, but I don't know," Harry said, "I think they're worried about the train security."

  "Not that you need to worry, Harry, Sirius always picks you up.  And I'm pretty sure Dad would come get us as well," Ginny commented.  Ginny didn't like the idea of staying in the school for the holidays and was hoping to avoid it if possible.

  "Oh well, perhaps it was just a rumor.  I'll sure to keep you posted if I hear anything new," Nick said politely as he floated away.

  "Yes, us too," Harry waved then turned to Ginny.  "Come on, I think Hermione and Ron are in the newsroom," he said, and the two of them walked out of the Great Hall.

  The newsroom was converted from a spare classroom on the second floor, with several of the desks pulled together to create a central table with several other desks spaced apart that served the main staff.  Hermione and Ron were sitting at her desk as Hermione tiredly finished up the copy sheet, looking satisfied.

  "Hello, you two.  Do you ever leave this room?"  Ginny asked as they walked up.

  "Not recently," Ron said, glancing at Hermione.  Hermione looked apologetic.

  "Well, I'm all finished now, and I promise I won't touch it again until we print it.  How was the game?"  Hermione asked.

  "Pathetic," Harry said glumly, "I knew it would be.  Ravenclaw had too many good players graduate last year.  Slytherin swept all over them."

  "We talked to Nicolas too," Ginny put in, "but he didn't know if he was the apprentice, he said the Charms instructor went off and became a court wizard and didn't stay teaching long."

  "Well, the more I think on it, the more I think it was probably the Symbology teacher," Hermione said thoughtfully.  "Even more so if the Charms professor didn't stay very long.  These apprentices seemed awful dedicated to the school, and I don't think one would leave without a very good reason.  But before that, I was thinking it was this other man because there seems to be a lot of Symbology at work here…the titles, an apprentice from the four…there's probably a lot of other symbols we haven't seen that are there as well.  Pretty fascinating really, I'm surprised we still don't have Symbology at Hogwarts.  I wonder why," Hermione said thoughtfully.  "Anyhow, perhaps we should concentrate on him, I am pretty sure that's the Gryffindor we're looking for.  The thing is, I have a feeling there has to be something in this school that's tied to him that we can find.  I mean, the school is full of history.  Even if we can't find a picture we may be able to find some other clue to link him to the group."

  "Even if we do find him, I'm not sure that that'll lead us to the Tomb," Harry said thoughtfully.  "You know, hardly anyone's hardly mentioned Halloween this year, and it's coming up next week.  After what happened last year, you'd think we would have heard something about security by now."

  "I doubt Voldemort would trying anything like that two years in a row," said Ron, "What's he going to do, poison all the apples and pumpkins going into the school?"

  Harry, Ginny and Hermione looked at each other.

  "Oh, come on, guys, you know I was only joking," Ron complained.

  "All the same, we haven't talked to Dobby in awhile.  Maybe we should see how he's doing," Harry suggested.

  "I think that's a wonderful idea," Hermione said, getting up.  "I want to see how he's doing converting the other House Elves out of slavery while we're at it."  Ron put his head in his hand, looking at her thoughtfully.  Was he ever going to get her to slow down enough he could talk to her?

  As it happened, Severus and Jennifer had no time to get into the Puzzlebox when they got back.  Having reached the teacher's Quidditch box to watch the last few minutes of the game, Minerva informed them they were going to be having an impromptu staff meeting right after dinner to go over security for Halloween and the upcoming holidays.  But Jennifer, who was getting weary from a weekend of clue chasing with little results, welcomed the chance of getting back into the swing of things. 

  Dumbledore smiled warmly at everyone as they entered and filed into the staff room, waiting patiently for them to find a seat and touch base with other staff before calling the room to order.

  "As you all know, Halloween is in a few days, which seems to be a turbulent time of year for us over the last few years.  I don't expect we'll have too much trouble inside the school, especially with all the new security measures, and the paintings all know their new procedures as well.  I believe most of you are aware of your assignments this year?  Jennifer, a few of our extended family should be around, and also Anna's going to stay the night if you'd escort her in before the feast."

  "Yes, Professor."

  "Severus, if you would, please help the volunteering ghosts on hall patrol.  I have a feeling you can help discourage any students from wandering about after hours," Dumbledore said with a slight smile.  Severus nodded.  Dumbledore then leaned back, looking around.  "Now, onto another important matter.  As most of you know, one of the reasons that I have been absent so much is that I have been working with the rail company along with Filius to solve safety problems with the train route, and although I think we've found some ways to do that, in all likelihood it will not be in place until after Christmas.  I also think, given the present set of circumstances and the threat against the entire student body, that it would probably be best to strongly suggest to the parents and board to allow us to keep the students here over the holidays.  It is my belief that both the students and the parents will be safer if they stay at Hogwarts." 

   Several of the professors exchanged looks with each other.  Jennifer suddenly felt terrible.  She remembered how the Willowbys asked to make sure that Corey was coming home from Christmas, and she assured them he would be able to.  Of course, she couldn't have possibly known what was going to happen with the train.  Still, it felt like she was breaking her word.  And what about all the other students?  What a dreary Christmas for them, stuck in the school away from their family and nothing to do.

  "Those of us Professors that are staying, I'm sure can come up with ways to make this as pleasant an experience as possible.  Speaking of which, I know many of you have other commitments, but are there any volunteers to stay and help out?"  Dumbledore asked.  As Jennifer shifted, Severus reached over and grabbed her hand, frowning at her.  Jennifer stared at him for a long time.  Yes, it would have been the first time since Severus bought the house that she'd have been able to go over there, but how could she even think of it when Corey had to stay?  After a long exchange of glares, Severus sighed in resignation and moved his hand, and Jennifer immediately raised it, followed by a less enthusiastic hand from Severus.  "Ah, good, I was hoping you two would join the volunteers," Dumbledore said brightly.  "Poppy, thank you, and Filius, I knew I could count on you.  I will see about sending word out about what arrangements can be made and some letters written explaining the situation."

  Jennifer knew from the start that Halloween was going to be a long day, getting up before dawn to head to the newsroom where Hermione and Ron were yawning over two piles of copy; one neatly stacked to be handed out to students right before lunch, and a more precarious pile of rolled copies for parents.  Jennifer quickly handed out mugs for tea and coffee, giving them a moment to wake up before going over the parent copies one last time and helping them take them up to the Owlery.

  "I can't believe it, _The Veritable Wizard Biweekly_ issue one!  I never thought we'd get it out in time."

  "Well, it took us a month to do a Biweekly, so I think we're in trouble," Ron said as they headed back to the tower.  Jennifer hushed them gently, reminding them that everyone was still asleep.

  "Don't worry, the first one always takes longer.  We had to set up staff and stories and set up topics and order…so as long as everyone gets their stories in by the end of the week, I think we can manage getting the edited and everything approved my McGonagall the night before it's supposed to go out, so it'll be in the Owlery before then.  I have no intention of getting up this early again if I don't have to," Jennifer grinned at them.

  "That makes two of us," Ron said.

  "You'll have to get up pretty early if you decide to work at the Ministry," Hermione reminded him.

  "I haven't decided if that's what I want to do yet," Ron said.  "And I'm definitely not doing it if he tries to put me in Percy's department.  By the way, did you hear Percy and Penelope are engaged now?  They're getting married in the spring."

  "What took him so long to ask?  They've been seeing each other for _ages_."  Hermione said, putting down her box.

  "Well, it's not something you just jump into, you know.  Probably one of the first smart things Percy's done was wait a year or two," Ron said.  Jennifer cleared her throat.

  "Okay, I've the local box here for our owls.  The other box goes to the main post, and their owl should be here any moment for it, it's nearly dawn.  Close it up and I'll minimize it," Jennifer said, taking out her wand.  Quickly getting it down to size, they then added a tie to make it easier for an owl to carry.  "Let's start sending out the rest.  Where are our volunteers?" she asked, looking up.  Several owls came down and they began passing them out, still yawning sleepily as they read them where they went.

  "Up with the birds, are we?"

  Jennifer turned around to give Severus a dirty look from where he stood by the door.

  "What are you doing awake?" Jennifer asked.

  "Saw you were awake and came to make sure you hadn't gone down any more pipes," Severus said calmly.  "Do you have a moment?"

  "We'll be all right, Professor," Hermione assured her, handing out another paper.

  "All right, I'll be right back," Jennifer assured them, following Severus down the stairs. 

  He didn't go far, however, turning instead to the door on the tower steps leading out to the parapet, opening it to fill the stairwell with chill morning air.  As Jennifer stepped out, she found herself suddenly in total awe of the view.  The sunrise was just starting to creep over the line of tall hills in the distance, streaking red and gold color through the lower clouds, while above them the castle was still cloaked in a veil of purple, slowly creeping further and further back as the sun ascended into the sky.

  "Isn't it beautiful?" Jennifer said quietly, stepping up to the wall.

  "Yes, very beautiful," Severus said softly in return.  Jennifer looked up to meet his steady, unwavering gaze.  A strange mix of emotions crossed his face, as if he were briefly remembering several different things at once.  He took a step closer to her, leaning against the wall.  "You know, it wasn't all that long ago that I wouldn't have even glanced out the window while walking through the castle, let alone notice what was beyond it.  Too caught up in my own problems to have given it a passing thought."

  "Sounds like me lately," Jennifer sighed, suddenly feeling guilty.  "I'm afraid I've been a bit preoccupied, haven't I?" Severus touched her cheek.

  "Well, yes, but what I was referring to goes beyond that.  My preoccupation was induced by bitterness, not being overzealous like you are.  Sometime before we get married, I want to sit and explain a few things that has been difficult for me to bring up before."

  "If you feel you must," Jennifer said, gazing at him lovingly.  "I've always known since we've met that you've been long haunted by things I couldn't read from your face, not knowing where to begin to look…not wanting to intrude.  But no matter what, nothing could ever diminish my love for you."

  "Be that as it may," Severus said, his voice nearing a whisper as his face took on a more serious look, "I would rather there be no barriers between us, and you have the right to know what all you're getting into."

  "Me?" Jennifer chuckled softly, "and what of you?  My father always said it takes nerves of steel to marry a Craw."  Before he could answer, they heard a loud, whooping WOOT coming from above, and Jennifer quickly remembered what she'd been doing a few moments ago.  "That's Revere, I need to go," she said, suddenly wishing she didn't. 

  Severus quickly leaned down and kissed her passionately, leaving her totally off balance as she reluctantly made her way towards the door.  His eyes never left her until she slipped out and back up to the Owlery, and he glanced out towards the sun, now above the horizon before heading down the stairs.


	17. Anna's Hogwarts Halloween

Chapter Seventeen

Anna's Hogwarts Halloween

  After that the day seemed to fly by for Jennifer as tests were marked and new chapters started, newspapers distributed, and students gently admonished as they grew restless waiting for the bell to ring.  Finally it was over, and Jennifer threw her books into her office and headed to the Dark Forest. 

  Brisk breezes carried brown, crisp leaves across the grounds as the sun sank beyond the mountain ridge behind the castle as Jennifer entered the forest, immediately feeling the wild, life energy that penetrated the wood.  But Jennifer had learned very quickly to respect the forces within it.  It was dangerous, yes, perhaps even perilous to some, but Jennifer had little to fear here.  The worst of her enemies no longer dared to enter it, learning first hand what ill came of those who brought down the wrath of its inhabitants.

  Carefully listening to the whispering news of the trees as she walked, Jennifer could get some feeling of the movements within the forest itself.  For Halloween it seemed unusually calm with the exception of the promise of a full moon.  The reminder caused Jennifer to pick up the pace, veering slightly off the path to make for the cabin, knocking gently on the door.  It was the first time she'd come out here that Sirius hadn't been around, she mused.

  Anna greeted her with a smile, and Jennifer couldn't help but grin.  She was wearing the ivory brocade dress that Minerva had made for her, her hair pinned back in some sort of strange, clear brown clip, but otherwise looked less Mugglish than Jennifer had ever seen her before.

  "Wow, you look great!  Never seen you look better.  How do you keep your skin so tan this time of year?"  Jennifer asked in amazement.

  "Tanning salon…er…actually, I don't think you'd believe it if I tried to explain it to you," she grinned at Jennifer.  "I have a present for you, though.  Sirius took me to London this weekend and I picked these up for you," she said, handing her a carton of bottled Cokes.  After she figured out what they were, Jennifer beamed.

  "Thanks!  Maybe now I can find out the formula, too," Jennifer grinned, making note to put one aside for that very purpose.  "Are you ready to head to the school?"

  "Yep," Anna said, bringing out a bag with her.  Jennifer quickly minimized the bag and cokes and they put them in their pockets as they started towards the path.

  "I have to admit, magic does seem to have its uses," Anna said, making sure her bag was safe inside her coat.  "I don't know what amazes me more, how different the society is here, or how alike it is."

  "What do you mean?"  Jennifer asked.

  "Well for one thing, your justice system certainly isn't any better," Anna said.  "I spoke with Lunette Vallid a few days ago, and it sounds…well, in some ways not that much different from ours, but in other ways is a bit behind."

  "Like how?"  Jennifer asked curiously.

  "Well, like, if there's surmounting evidence it's assumed that the person is guilty with little doubt, like Sirius."

  "Oh.  Yes, well, justice has gotten better lately now that the Ministry is in better hands and all.  I guess it's no real secret that there was a lot of corruption," Jennifer sighed.  "In fact, a lot of people who were Death Eaters were cleared, and unfortunately, helped put a lot of their enemies in jail.  Sirius was one of them."

  "He wasn't the only victim?"

  "Oh no, there were others from what I understand, he was just one of the few that came out of Azkaban sane, what with all the Dementors there," just then, there was a whinny, and Jennifer paused, glancing around.  A brilliant white Unicorn glanced out of the brush, looking directly at her, shaking her mane.  "Oh, sorry, Keki, we didn't mean to alarm you.  I won't mention them by name again," she promised, nodding respectfully to the beast.  Two other Unicorns that appeared right behind her bent their knee gently towards Jennifer, watching respectfully from a distance before fading back into the trees.  The larger Unicorn nodded her head gently before fading as well.  "I didn't know they were following us or I wouldn't have said that," Jennifer said sheepishly.  "Unicorns hate the old prison keepers of Azkaban." 

  Anna had stopped to look at them, her eyes lingering even after they disappeared.  She had often thought she saw a glimpse of something white in the trees around her house, but had convinced herself it was her imagination getting the better of her and the strange environment.  But as they faded, Anna couldn't help but feel more secure.  Even before she had known any of this existed, somehow she had known Unicorns did.  And these, it seemed, not only watched the cabin, but also had some special bond with Jennifer.

  "Why do they hate them?" Anna asked.

  "Well the keepers of the prison feed off of the despair and pain of others, like vampires feed off blood, these feed off of your spirit.  They can even destroy a soul by feeding off of it completely…life, no after life, just gone forever.  Few have seen the inside of one of their hoods and lived to tell the tale, their kiss is quick and permanent.  Whoever came up with the idea of sending them to guard Azkaban I have no idea, but I think the intention was that by sapping the prisoners of their hopes and ambitions they could not think of escape.  The prison was full of them, and their constant feeding off the prisoners making them rather formidable foes.  It's not surprising so many prisoners tormented by their own countless fears lost their sanity, probably the only way they could have survived at all," Jennifer said sadly.  "How Sirius came out of it quite so well, I'm not sure.  Partly because he was innocent, partly because he was an Animagus, and probably partly because he can be so stubborn at times," Jennifer grinned.

  "Animagus?" Jennifer suddenly caught herself, hesitating.

  "Oh, just a type of magus.  What's important was he escaped, and they were finally able to prove his innocence.  In fact, he helped during the Azkaban Revolt a couple years ago, when Voldemort –" There was a disturbed whinny from behind them.  "When You-know-who and his followers allied with the prison keepers to release his supporters, destroy the rest of the prisoners, then launch an attack on the school.  That's when I met Keki," Jennifer said, thinking back.  "Although I didn't know her name then; the centaurs told me later.  I went to the forest and asked for the Unicorns help, and Keki, the herd leader, let me ride her, and the herd went to help fight the prison keepers when they came to the school.  It's something I'll never forget, even though it can kind of be embarrassing at times when people bring it up," Jennifer chuckled.  "Bad enough being the youngest faculty member without people starting up with the 'innocence' stuff.  Not that anyone brings it up any more…at least, not like they used to.  The former prison keepers still hate me though.  They'd take my soul in an instant if they could.  They've tried many times already."

  "And you're not afraid of that?"

  "No, I've never feared them, that's part of why they hate me, I think," Jennifer said as they stepped out of the forest and onto the grounds.  Lights began to flicker on inside the castle, and Jennifer brought out a pumpkin lantern, lighting it as they took the final leg to the gate.

  "So what do you fear, then?" Anna asked.  Jennifer turned and looked at her thoughtfully a moment, debating on whether or not to answer.

  "Not being good enough," she said at last, walking into the yard.

  "Not being good enough at what?"  Anna asked.

  "Oh, everything," Jennifer smiled weakly, opening the door for them to head inside.  On the way to the Great Hall, they met up with Minerva, who insisted on stopping by her office so she could take a picture of Anna in her new dress.  "She always does this," Jennifer whispered to Anna with a grin.  "Minerva, we're going to be late."

  "Nonsense, they wouldn't start without us and it'll only take a moment," Minerva said.  "You know I like to keep a personal photo collection of these things."

  "What are you working on now, Minerva? You haven't asked me up to your workroom in two weeks," Jennifer complained.  Minerva smiled mysteriously at her as she opened her office.

  "Yes, I know.  I don't want you to see what I'm working on," she said, letting them in.

  "Christmas stuff?" Jennifer asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.  Minerva ignored her, getting her camera, and directing Anna where to stand.  After getting a picture of Anna alone, she went ahead and got a picture of them together.  "Wedding stuff?" Jennifer asked.  Minerva turned quickly away, but not quickly enough for Jennifer to get a glimpse of her face.  "You're making Severus dress robes for the wedding!  Oh, wow, Minerva, you know you're never going to get him in dress robes.  I want to see them!"

  "No, no, no, and I'd appreciate it if you'd be quiet about it," Minerva chuckled.  "You and your annoying talent, Jennifer.  I wasn't going to tell you.  As for actually getting him to wear them, I think we should let Dumbledore handle that issue.  It was both of your decisions that you were going to make this a public affair so he's just going to have to face the consequences of that.  Come on, let's not keep everyone waiting.  Anna, I expect Sirius is saving you a seat at the high table, so let's be off."

  Anna found herself nearly surrounded within moments of first entering the back door of the Hall. Dumbledore came over from where he was standing to welcome her.  Sirius quickly followed, bowing slightly and offering her a warm smile, politely complementing her on her dress.  Severus soon stepped up beside him, frowning at Sirius before asking her about the walk over.  Jennifer in the meantime went to stand by her seat, taking a moment to talk to Filius.

  "I think a few of us who are staying should get together about Christmas," Filius said, "to plan out some activities and try to make things more pleasant for them."

  "I couldn't agree more," Jennifer nodded. "Although I'm not sure anything we do will make things easier.  But I'll be happy to help, of course.  What sort of things did you have in mind?"

  "Well, we could have a Christmas Eve dance, and a gift exchange and…"

  "Wait a minute, Filius, you forget, these kids haven't been able to go to Hogsmeade.  They won't have any opportunity to do any Christmas shopping," Jennifer pointed out.

  "Oh, no, you're right.  Oh dear, I feel sorry for the businesses at Hogsmeade too.  They make quite a bit of their Christmas funds off this school," Filius sighed.  Jennifer glanced up to see Dumbledore walking to his seat.  Glancing at Filius, she intercepted him.

  "Professor, since the students will be staying here, perhaps we could arrange one trip to Hogsmeade?  It's not that far…" Jennifer started, but instantly received an understanding, yet firm look from Dumbledore.

  "I'm sorry, Jennifer, under the circumstances, I cannot allow it."

  "Well, then, what about bringing Hogsmeade to the school?" Jennifer suggested.  "So it's a bit unorthodox, so what isn't about this year so far?  We already know who's trustworthy in town, so why don't we invite them to set up in the courtyard or something and have a winter festival?  That way the kids can do their shopping, the shops won't suffer from our absence, and we can do something special for the students at the same time."  Filius clapped his hands together in instant support of the idea, looking expectantly at Dumbledore before verbalizing it.  Dumbledore glanced over at Filius, then back at Jennifer.

  "I don't want any security comprised by this," Dumbledore reminded them in a tone that alerted them immediately that he was going to let them do it.  Jennifer grinned broadly.

  "No, of course not, Professor," Jennifer said.

  "I think it's a positively brilliant idea!  I can't wait to get started with planning," Filius said, giving Jennifer an approving smile.

  "Good, because I think I'd like you to head up the planning team, Filius, since Jennifer has the newspaper to contend with already.  Jennifer, you'll assist Filius by getting the merchants lined up.  You will want to talk with Rosmerta first…I want the list of merchants run through both her and myself before any of them are invited," he said, motioning them to their places.

  "Yes, Professor," Jennifer nodded and quickly moved to her chair, still grinning.  Severus, who had come up to beside her was looking at the other three with suspicion.

  "Oh, and Severus, you'll be in charge of security," Dumbledore added with a smile, glancing towards the front at the student body who were seated and chatting among themselves.

  "Security of what?" Severus asked, glancing at Jennifer.  Jennifer, who had just realized what she had gotten them into, was trying to form a suitable answer when Dumbledore called the students to order.

  "I have a couple of very important announcements to make.  First of all, do not forget that you are to join your housemates in your houserooms immediately after dinner, where, I believe, the different houses have some activities planned for the evening.  I would like to emphasize that all of you need to remain in your rooms once you have arrived there," Dumbledore glanced directly down the Gryffindor table.  "And any student found wandering about with or without a good reason will probably find their way into my office.  If any student has any concerns about this, you may bring them up with Professor Snape, who'll be monitoring the halls overnight.

  "The other thing I have to announce is that due to some ongoing security measures being enhanced to the train, that the system will not be available for the holidays."  A surprised rumble went out over the crowd, but Dumbledore held up his hand.  "I know that this is a bit of a blow to everyone.  Your parents and guardians have already received word of this, and we are encouraging all students to remain at Hogwarts.  However, plans are already underway for some special events including a winter festival, which I'm sure you'll all enjoy."  Jennifer felt eyes on her, but didn't dare turn around.  "So, without further delay, I shall just wish you a chillingly good Halloween."

  Bowls of jack-o-lantern shaped pumpkin ice cream appeared in the center plates loaded with candy, apples, and popcorn balls, and Jennifer couldn't help but peak over towards where Anna sat, wondering what her reaction would be to this sort of feast.  But Anna, it appeared, didn't seem to notice.  In fact, she looked quite furious, and even from here, Jennifer could tell it was directed at Sirius who was attempting to make a valiant effort to be nice long enough to find out what was bugging her.

  "Now, why is it that I get the feeling this winter festival Dumbledore just mentioned was your idea?" Severus asked in a low voice.

  "Would it do me any good to try and deny it?"  Jennifer chuckled nervously, glancing to meet his steady gaze.

  "No, considering that the only people at the table that weren't surprised seemed to be you and Flitwick," he scowled at her.

  "Hey, how come Anna's so mad?  Any idea?  She was fine just a moment ago," Jennifer asked.  Severus blinked, glancing past her towards the other table.

  "Well, she did seem a little preoccupied.  I only asked her about the walk and she told me about seeing the Unicorns, then out of nowhere she asked me what an animagus was."

  "Uh oh," Jennifer said, trying not to panic, glancing back over to see them arguing.  Jennifer suddenly made a moment to get up but it was too late.  Anna had suddenly stood straight up in total fury like a thundering storm as Sirius stumbled out of his chair, hands up in attempt to gently calm her down.

  "Don't you dare come near me!  I can't believe I let you in my house!  I don't even like animals, but no, I took pity on you because of the storm.  I CAN'T BELIEVE I LET YOU SLEEP AT THE FOOT OF MY BED!" Anna screamed, dumping her ice cream over Sirius' head.  As she tried to take a step away he suddenly grabbed her arm, and as she swung to kick him, they both disappeared.  Surprise jumped through the Great Hall like wildfire and a panic began to develop among the students.  Nobody was supposed to be able to leave like that!  Jennifer then cussed silently as several teachers leaped to their feet and tried to head Severus off towards the door.

    "Everyone stop where you are!"  Dumbledore said in a voice that breached no argument.  Severus paused and glared at the Headmaster then accusingly at Jennifer, who had just managed to catch up to him.  Dumbledore shook his head gently, glancing over to Severus and Jennifer.  "Jennifer, would you go check on our guests via the staff room to make sure they arrived where they were going and come straight back to the staff room?  Severus, would you wait for me in the staff room, please?  I'll be right in."

  Jennifer headed to the staff room, quickly Disapparating before Severus could get there.  He took out his watch, scowled at the "elsewhere" reading and the spinning compass and began pacing.

  "Well, Minerva, it would seem you get the pleasure of making sure everyone minds their own business again," Dumbledore said with a weak smile, glancing out at the students, who quickly pretended like they were eating.

  "We knew it was going to happen," Minerva said, trying to keep a serious expression.

  "Yes, but did it have to happen in front of the _entire _school?" Dumbledore asked.

  Severus was pacing in the staff room like a caged panther in attempt to remain calm but was failing miserably.  He paused as Dumbledore came in, giving him a sour look before continuing to pace.

  "You knew about this!" Severus said, stopping at the far side of the room and folding his arms, unwilling to turn around and face him.

  "Yes, I knew," Dumbledore said, taking a seat.  "There really is no reason for you to worry.  I'm sure she's quite safe."

  "Safe?  She was just transported out of the Great Hall in front of everyone to who knows where by Sirius Black, whom it appears has been playing puppy to my sister.  And you knew about it!" Severus snapped, and began to pace again.

  "Sirius often guards the forest in dog form, you know that quite well.  And when it became clear to him that despite our assurances she was having trouble accepting him in his human form, he naturally decided it would be easier for both of them if he just remained in dog form while guarding her."

  "Well, perhaps he shouldn't have been guarding her in the first place!" Severus yelled in annoyance.

  "Come, now, Severus.  You cannot watch her all the time.  You have other responsibilities to think about, and you know as well as I do some of the reasons she cannot stay here.  The Forest Cabin was a perfect solution; she would be around her own kind of magic and the Centaurs closely watch the location.  Sirius and Remus have been in charge of security there for years as you well know, and it only made sense for him to keep an eye on her.  Not to mention he is much more capable of helping her adjust since he's quite comfortable in both our world and the Muggle world, as she will need to be."  

 Jennifer entered the room, glancing first at Severus and then turning to Dumbledore.

  "They're safe at the moment," she told Dumbledore, who nodded.

  "Never mind that, where exactly are they?" Severus said, walking over to Jennifer.

  "I'm not going to tell you that," Jennifer said calmly and firmly.  "Not in your present state of mind.  It goes against secret keeper ethics to tell someone wishing bodily harm on one of the people she's guarding where he's at."

  "So you knew about this dog thing too?  How come you didn't tell me what was going on?"  Severus demanded.

  "Severus, I asked her to keep things quiet, so if you want to yell at someone do pick on me, not Jennifer," Dumbledore interrupted.  Jennifer looked over at Dumbledore with complete surprise but Severus backed off, going back to glaring at Dumbledore and pacing.  "Now, Jennifer, I want you to give the two of them a couple more minutes, and then could you politely barge in and bring her back?  I'm sure Anna will be upset but I'm sure you can help her with that.  If she needs to speak with me and seems insistent, you may escort her up to my study.  Severus, I suggest you follow my lead and also make yourself scarce.  When Anna is ready to speak to us about this, she will.  After all, this really is between her and Sirius and we're just concerned bystanders.  We will let her decide when it's time for us to interfere."

  Jennifer looked at the Headmaster in sudden amazement and new respect in Dumbledore's meddling ethics.  She couldn't help but think of her first year at the school when so many things were touch and go for her, and then suddenly broke into a smile, nodding.  Severus eyed Dumbledore dubiously, nodding but not looking happy at all.  As Jennifer Disapparated, Severus sighed.

  "Well, they should be almost done eating by now, so if you're done with me, I'm going to go get ready for my shift."  Severus said, heading towards the door.

  "You know, the waves always get bigger the closer you get to shore," Dumbledore said with a smile, reminding Severus of a conversation that they had had a very long time ago.

  "Oh, really.  Then how come I still feel like I'm still drowning," Severus muttered on his way out.  Dumbledore chuckled softly to himself.

  "Romeo was an idiot?  What kind of password is that?"  Anna wanted to know as Jennifer showed her into her room.

  "Better than Juliet's priest needs a better apothecary, that's what your brother's is at the moment," Jennifer smirked.  "We've been keeping all our passwords similar since we got engaged so we could reach each other quickly in an emergency.  Here, why don't you sit down and relax," Jennifer suggested, pulling out her tray which filled up with sandwiches and cups of tea.  "I'm not much into sweets.  Good thing the Elves always make trays up for the teachers after the feast."

  "Elves?"

  "Yeah, the House Elves run the kitchens, and they usually have trays ready for teachers in the evenings, and a good thing too!  I'd starve on Halloween if they didn't," Jennifer admitted.  Anna was standing near the couch, but instead of sitting was busy staring at the sleeping bat hanging upside down from the owl perch with his wings folded.  "That's my familiar, Ratfly, he's a fruit bat."

  "That is your familiar?  A bat?" Anna asked, deciding to sit instead in the chair since it was farther away from the perch.

  "Well, I suppose they are a bit unusual compared to normal Hogwarts familiars, but he's a great messenger, even if he is a little lazy.  My Dad got him for me before I graduated.  He hated my white rabbit.  'No Craw has ever stooped down to having a rabbit before,' he'd say, and so when I got out of that white magic school, he immediately got me a dark familiar," Jennifer chuckled.  "Mom was quite mad, but I love Ratfly.  He can sense things, like he can sense when I want him, and sense danger.  My rabbit never did anything but hide in annoying places and look cute." Jennifer sat down on the couch, looking at Anna thoughtfully.  "I suppose it'd be prying if I asked what happened before I came and found you."

  "Ugh, I don't even want to think about it.  Hey, how come you didn't tell me that Sirius was a dog?"  Anna demanded, frowning at her accusingly.

  "Dumbledore asked me to keep it quiet," Jennifer said quickly, feeling a tad guilty as she said it.  The first time she'd heard him say anything of the kind was when he told Severus he had said that, but she had a feeling that backing him up on the statement wouldn't hurt.  "And actually, Sirius isn't a dog, he's an Animagus."

  "As far as I'm concerned at this moment, he's a dog," Anna said.  "I should have known better than to trust an animal.  And I should have listened to Severus when he told me to stay away from him."

  "Well, I don't know what all Severus has said about that, but he and Sirius have been at odds for years.  I have the feeling he blames his getting mixed up with Voldemort partially on him, although he really hasn't said anything to me about it," Jennifer admitted.  "Don't get me wrong, Sirius has his faults, but he definitely has his good points too.  Not many people could have lasted so long in Azkaban and still had the strength to escape, not to mention risk everything like that to help Harry.  Actually, besides maybe Dumbledore, I can't think of another person who'd have done it," Jennifer said thoughtfully.  "And then to try to put his life back together and put a good face on things like he has, it's pretty incredible.  In fact, I might have gone out with him myself at one point had I not already fallen for Severus."  Jennifer's mind started to wander as she thought back again to that first year.  She suddenly became aware that Anna was glaring at her and blinked, focusing back in.

  "Let's get one thing clear right here and now, Jennifer.  I don't know what you're getting at, but if you mean to imply you think I'm interested in Sirius Black, you're dead wrong.  In fact, I have no intention of ever speaking to him again." Anna said.

  "Yeah, I tried that with Severus too.  It didn't work," Jennifer said.

  "Can't we talk about something else?" Anna asked in annoyance.  Just then a dark expression crossed over Jennifer's face, and Anna frowned.  "What was that?" Jennifer tilted her head to the side with confusion.

  "Strange, for a moment there, I thought I heard someone whisper my name," Jennifer admitted, listening. 

  _Jennifer Craw.  _The whisper came again.  There was no doubt this time.  Someone, or some thing, said her name.  She looked up at Anna, who was looking at Jennifer with concern.

  "Your face changed again.  And I felt something.  Something evil," Anna said.  "Whatever it is, it's in the school."

  "Then what are we doing sitting here for?  Let's go find it," Jennifer said jumping up.  "If we see Severus, we should grab him too," she added, glancing at her watch.  "Looks like he's out in the halls somewhere."  Jennifer stopped by the door and picked up a few potions she had sitting on a small stand there, putting them in her pocket.

  "What are those for?"  Anna asked as she stepped up behind her.

  "Emergencies," Jennifer explained quickly, opening the door.  "Come on, let's go."


	18. Deceptive Appearances

Chapter Eighteen

Deceptive Appearances

  Jennifer paused for a moment as they stepped out, listening, then walked towards the main stairwell, glancing around.  Anna moved past her and up the staircase.

  "Where are you going?" Jennifer asked in surprise.

  "It's this way," Anna shrugged.  "Just don't ask me how I know."

  "All right, up it is then," Jennifer said, following glancing every now and then at her watch as they headed up the stairs.  It wasn't long before Jennifer started to wonder about their direction until at last it was so obvious there could be no mistake about it.  "It seems to be coming from Dumbledore's study.  In fact, I know what it is.  But that's impossible," she said, as they passed a Phoenix painting.   "No curse is strong enough to get through my Puzzlebox, let alone the study.  Let's go in. Dumbledore said he'd leave it open in case you wanted to talk to him later."

  Anna followed warily behind her, cautious of the foreboding feeling that penetrated the area.  Where was Dumbledore?  She would have thought he'd have been around if something had gotten in his study.

  Jennifer spotted her Puzzlebox sitting in the open glass case right away, eyeing it thoughtfully, just as her name was called again.  The whisper was loud enough to send a shock down her back, making her wince in pain.

  "It's coming from that box, I'm sure of it." Anna said with a nod.

  "Well, as long as it's in the box, I don't think it can harm anything," Jennifer said, but couldn't help but be a bit worried.  She'd never known anything to be able to communicate through the box before.  "I wonder where Dumbledore is?"

  "You're not going to open it, are you?"

  "Not without a spotter, no," Jennifer said.  "Something must have triggered one of the cursed items in there, or it could be as simple as the fact it's Halloween.  Dad said none of the items in there would hurt me but the painting of Mallus Craw, and I'm not willing to take the chance it's the painting.  Let's go find Severus."

  As Jennifer turned around, she jumped back in surprise and Anna did the same.  Severus had somehow managed to creep up and had been standing directly behind them.  He smirked slightly, looking between them.

  "Sorry," he said amusedly, not sounding the least bit sorry.  "You'll find that happens a lot in this office.  What's going on?  The ghosts were telling me they were hearing a strange voice in here."

  "It's one of the items we brought from the vault.  Somehow it's managing to get through the protections in the cabinet and the box," Jennifer said.

  "It keeps calling her name, and her face gets strange every time it does," Anna added.  "But it hasn't said anything in awhile.  Whatever it is, it's very evil, I have no doubt of that."  Severus squinted thoughtfully, looking at Jennifer's face for a moment.

  "Well, since all those items are connected directly to her family, it's quite possible that if any of them had intelligence or any real power, it might have found a way to use her as a conduit of some kind…" just then, Jennifer heard her name again, and another shudder went through her.  Severus' face went from thoughtfulness to concern as he noticed the same darkness cross over her that Anna had.  "Yes, I do believe that's what we're seeing."

  "Then waiting much longer would be a bad idea," Jennifer said.  "That'd just give whichever item is doing this more time to grow.  We need to find it now and nullify it."

  "Agreed." Severus said, glancing at Anna.  "Anna, you had better stand out of the way, over there, perhaps, by the door.  If anything goes wrong, find Minerva.  Considering Dumbledore isn't in here by now and Fawkes is gone he's probably not in the castle at the moment."

  "Should we move the box somewhere else?" Jennifer asked, feeling a bit awkward being in Dumbledore's study with him not being there.

  "No, this is probably the safest place to do this," Severus said, taking out his wand as Jennifer got the box out and sat it down on the floor, flipping the complicated set of locks to open it.  She then paused to put on her gloves and reached in, suddenly feeling a powerful jolt up her hand as she came into contact with the painting, passing through the magic-tempered fabric as if it weren't even there.  Wincing in pain she drew her hand out and took a step back and got out her wand to float the tiny painting out, which quickly returned to its original size, the cover still clinging over it.

  "It's definitely the painting," Jennifer said, rubbing her arm slightly.

  "Yes, the presence I've been feeling is coming from there," Anna agreed.  The three of them looked at it for a moment.

  "You should probably look the other way, Anna, just to be safe," Jennifer said.  Anna pretended to look away as Jennifer turned to Severus, who nodded to her, and she carefully uncovered the portrait of Mallus Craw.  He was wearing the same wary, suspicious look as the first time she'd seen it, but his face seemed even sterner than before and somehow more menacing.

  "So.  This is my descendant," Mallus Craw said in a voice that sounded as familiar to Jennifer as her own voice.  She was certain she had heard it many, many times before, but never so clearly.  "By her own admission, the last Craw.  You should be honored, dear grandchild.  You are the first of tainted blood to have looked upon me and lived to tell of it.  And yet, your father did cleanse it, didn't he?  But not, it seems, for the honor of the family, but for acceptance into the fold of an enemy."

  "Paintings should be seen and not heard," Jennifer said, trying to concentrate on the series of identification spells she had hovering about the painting.  "Typical ghost paint on the painting itself, but look at the encryption on the frame.  It's more like a mirror curse than a painting curse," Jennifer commented, taking a cautious step closer and to the side to get a better look.  Mallus squinted at her, frowning thinly.

  "I am much more than a painting, child, and much more than a curse.  I have the ability to unleash powers in you that you are not even aware that you have, and teach you secrets about the Craw legacy that even your father doesn't know.  Secrets I took to my grave."

  "All right then," Jennifer paused, looking at the painting doubtfully.  "Where's Salazar's Tomb?"

  "Jennifer, don't talk to it, just work.  Remember what your father said," Severus warned her, tapping his wand impatiently as he watched.

  "That should be no big secret to you if your father actually passed down what belonged to you.  My wand will lead you there," Mallus said, glancing at Jennifer's hand, squinting.  Jennifer sighed softly.

  "I should have guessed," she muttered then turned back to deciphering the markings.  The first set seemed to be some sort of entrapment, she frowned thoughtfully.  Could it be that this was actually the soul of Mallus Craw trapped inside the painting?

  "Where is my wand?" Mallus asked, his face dark and threatening.  It suddenly didn't look like a painting.  The brush strokes had cleared away and Jennifer realized that the entire painting had been caked upon the surface of a mirror.

  "Jennifer, move back from the painting!" Anna shouted out suddenly.

  "Possession Curse!" Jennifer said in realization as she saw a dark mist come out of the picture and she two flashes of light above her.  She felt a sudden jerk and then the sensation of being dragged by a strong force towards the surface of the mirror.  After a moment of disorientation, she found herself looking out from the painting as she heard the sound of items smacking up against the surface.  It was the Ravenclaw wand and her Dragonheart diamond ring, rejecting the spirit that had taken her place.  There was another flash of light as Severus cast a spell at her…or rather her body, and it collapsed as Anna stood in shock, looking between Jennifer's fallen form and the painting.

  "And that, class, is why you always have a spotter," Jennifer's voice said, the picture of Mallus Craw smiling weakly.  "Everything okay out there?"

  "He's asleep," Severus nodded. 

  "You're stuck in a painting and you're asking _us_ if everything is okay?" Anna stared at her.

  "Actually, it's a mirror disguised to look like a painting.  I should have realized it from the beginning," Jennifer explained.  "I think it's safe to take the paint off, Severus.  I think it was put there just to disguise the fact that Mallus' ghost was hiding in the mirror."  Severus muttered a spell and the paint slowly began to slide away, mingling with the other colors and making a strange, distorted image before finally melting away, leaving a clear view of Jennifer's image in the surface of the mirror.  "That's better, now I can see.  How do I look?"

  "Like someone who just got framed," Severus said dryly.

  "Severus, I think I liked you better before you developed a sense of humor," Jennifer teased him.

  "Would you both stop joking around?" Anna said in frustration of not being able to do anything.  "I may not know much about this sort of thing, but I know this is serious!  Whatever is in her body is definitely evil, and I think leaving it in there too long is a bad idea."

  "We know, Anna, calm down, let me think," Jennifer said.

  "I think I can go in there and get her out," Anna said, looking thoughtfully at the mirror.

  "No!  Titiana don't, your magic doesn't work the same as ours.  If that mirror breaks and Jennifer's spirit has nowhere else to go, it'll kill her," Severus said fervently.  "And don't touch the body either.  I'm not quite sure what would happen if you did."

  "A typical reversal counterspell isn't going to work I don't think, because Mallus somehow had an outside link to me.  If we tried to reverse it, the link would bounce the spell back.  We're going to have to find a way to separate the link so that I arrive a few seconds after he's already left," Jennifer said, glancing over her body, then back at Severus.  "My mirror… it's in my right robe pocket.  We can try to triangulate so I get transferred in there first.  Then once we get him back in his mirror, we need to find a way to hold him in there so we can banish him."

  "All right.  A reflective capture, mirror banishment, and then counter the capture," Severus said, kneeling down and getting the mirror.

  "Right.  And if the banishment doesn't work…you know the separation death, right?"  Jennifer asked.  Severus looked startled for a moment, but then nodded.

  "Wait, what is that, what are you planning to do?"  Anna asked.  Severus glanced up at her, doing a double take.  A strange white glow had started to appear around her, and he took a step back.

  "You're glowing," he told her accusingly.  "What are you trying to do?"

  "I'm not trying to do anything except find out what's going on!  What's with the glowing sword?"  Anna asked, looking to one side of her, noticing something in the study she hadn't before.  It was pulsating; reminding her somewhat of an alarm system. 

  Severus, who didn't see anything of the sort, suddenly had his attention drawn back to the mirror, which was beginning to cloud behind Jennifer.  Anna looked back over, and she stared at the dark cloud growing behind her, sensing an intense evil.  Shapes began to appear in it, faces, Anna thought.  "Get her out of there, get her out of there!"

   Quickly rushing over, Severus began to chant a spell that Jennifer recognized at once as a medium spell.  His face grew dark and he seemed to fall into a trance as he held his hand out towards the surface of the mirror.  Thinking this was a very bad idea but faced with little choice, Jennifer reached out and touched his hand, immediately feeling pulled out of the mirror then violently tossed back onto the floor as Severus fell backwards, shaking his head slightly in disorientation as Jennifer's thoughts mingled with his own.      

  Overwhelmed with emotions, they were barely aware of Anna's sudden dive towards the mirror, walking inside it as if there was no barrier at all.  Suddenly there was a flash of bright color as a brilliant red bird appeared from inside the Sorting Hat, rushing up to the mirror and grabbing hold of the girl, managing to pull her back out just as it shattered, covering Anna and the Phoenix with shards of glass.

  Severus and Jennifer, both in Severus' body, scrambled to their feet to make a dash over to Anna, but noticed they were not the only ones awake.  Mallus in Jennifer's form had also gotten to his feet and was staring angrily at the broken mirror.  He then turned to face them, and Jennifer noticed he had her dagger…the family dagger, in his hand.

  "Fools, you think breaking the mirror is going to stop me?  You have now only released my power, and now a new generation will witness my wrath!" he exclaimed as tendrils of darkness appeared out of the air binding Severus' hands and making him drop his wand.  A black aura appeared around Jennifer's form as he threw the dagger at Severus' heart. 

  But just an inch away from him, it suddenly halted in mid air and clattered to the ground.  As Mallus took a step forward to stare at it in surprise, Severus-Jennifer and Anna turned in surprise as they saw the chair at Dumbledore's desk in motion, turning towards them.  Dumblestore stood, taking his wand out.

  "I see Jennifer has an uninvited guest.  I think it's time Mallus Craw found out what happens when someone wears out his welcome in this castle," Dumbledore said. 

  It was then that several things seemed to happen at once.  The dark tendrils disappeared into nothingness, and the aura around Jennifer's form began to waver and tiny strands of light as thin as spider webs appeared out from a strange white haze.  They seemed to travel from between each person in the room in different colors, but also there were several that seemed to go to the broken mirror as well.  Suddenly a rumble like thunder seemed to erupt from Dumbledore's direction and one of the lines snapped. Dumbledore immediately then turned and cast a beam of light that enveloped Jennifer's form.  It fell lifelessly to the ground and something began to raise out of it…a dark, horrifying shape that shrieked in outrage.  But the powerful light brightened, completely enveloping the hideous ghost, blinding the room until the shrieking faded into silence.  The blaring light snuffed out like the flame of a candle and the room returned to normal. 

  Fawkes, having been protectively hovering around Anna, suddenly rubbed his head against her a moment before hopping back up on his perch, looking tired.  Anna was still sitting where she had when the mirror shattered, but her cuts were healed even though her dress was still tattered and torn, watching Dumbledore with a slightly dazed expression on her face.  He was very quickly walking over to Severus, looking at him over the rim of his glasses.

  "Now, this is probably going to hurt," Dumbledore warned gently, and raised his hand to Severus' chest, holding his fingers curled except for one which he held out like a perch.  "Come, Jennifer, you cannot stay there.  You have work to do, and much more life to live."  At the mere touch of Dumbledore's hand, Jennifer felt herself being pulled away and suddenly panicked, not wanting to go.  "No no, none of that," Dumbledore said, gently coercing her out.  She found herself flapping her wings in the shape of a dove, sitting on Dumbledore's hand and feeling very disoriented and alone.  She immediately missed hearing Severus' thoughts, no matter how confusing it was at the time, she couldn't help missing the closeness.  She cooed pitiably while Dumbledore reassured her it'd be all right, kneeling down by Jennifer's form.  He paused a moment to hold one of the body's hands, looking thoughtful.  At last he smiled and held the dove to her chest until it disappeared from his hands, and Jennifer found herself opening her eyes, looking into Dumbledore's face.

  "There, that's better.  Nice to see you back where you belong, Jennifer," he smiled, getting up and going over to Anna, helping her up.  "Are you all right, Anna?  Here, come sit in a chair, you've had a long day.  Come to think of it, we all have, haven't we?  Of course, it's not every day I have to banish evil spirits invading my study."

  "Our apologies, Professor, we weren't expecting things to get quite so out of hand," Severus said quietly, helping Jennifer up.  She was quickly aware that his hand was trembling and gazed up at him thoughtfully, seeing the same loss that she had experienced in his eyes.

  "It's quite all right, these things happen from time to time," Dumbledore said, picking up the Puzzlebox lying on the ground and sorting through it casually.

  "These things happen?" Anna suddenly repeated, sounding angry.  Everyone looked up at her at the same time.  "What kind of world is this, where 'these things happen?'" She said, standing up.  "People getting framed by murdering rats, who then turn into dogs, paintings that talk but are really evil ghosts in mirrors?  Glowing swords and crying birds?  I'm out of here before someone hands me a bottle labeled 'Drink me!'" she said and suddenly Disapparated.  Jennifer's jaw dropped.  She'd never seen anyone Disapparate out of the study before.  She looked over at Dumbledore curiously, but he looked concerned instead of surprised.

  "So, it seems that my day isn't quite over after all," he sighed resignedly.  "I will go talk to her.  I have a good idea where she went.  Severus, would you walk Jennifer to her room before you head back to your patrols?  She's definitely going to need her rest, and," he added, after making sure he had eye contact with Severus, "it is very important that Jennifer has time alone tonight so she can be Jennifer."  Severus nodded slowly and glanced back over at Jennifer, who followed him out the door.  Taking one last look in the Puzzlebox to reassure himself there weren't any other possessed items lurking within, Dumbledore closed it up and put it back on his shelf before heading after Anna.

  Severus and Jennifer spent the better half of their lunches the following week testing some of the other items, separating some of the more harmless cursed ones into a pile for Defense classes.

  "Well, at least I won't have to pay any visits to Knockturn for awhile for class items," Jennifer said glumly as she added a cursed quill into the pile.  "But I can't possibly believe that the only clue would have been in the wand." Severus, who was looking over one of the books, nodded.

  "I agree, but you know as well as I do how much is left in that vault.  This is bound to take some time," he said.  There was a knock at the office door and they looked up to see Minerva standing there.

  "Still at it, I see?" Minerva said with a quirked smile.  "Severus, you're with Anna tonight?"

  "Yes, I'm loaning her some books on basic herbology."

  "Good, that sounds promising.  Jennifer, you're going to Hogsmeade tomorrow, aren't you?" Minerva asked.

  "Yes, I have to meet Rosmerta about the festival," Jennifer nodded.

  "Well, Dumbledore would like you to take Anna along with you.  I'm sure she'll enjoy getting out of the cabin after all the company she's been getting this week," Minerva said, slightly amused.  Jennifer understood exactly what that meant.  Dumbledore had called for a "safety net" around Anna, something that was normally reserved for staff during unusually trying times.  In fact, Jennifer remembered fondly, it had been used on her once, although at the time she hadn't realized it.  It usually involved keeping the person busy, guarded by many eyes, and plenty of open ears to listen until whatever it was that was the problem until it got worked out.  The best part about this time, however, was that Jennifer wasn't on the receiving end.

  Severus had looked up from the book with a frown, and Jennifer already knew what was coming before he even said it.

  "Are you sure that's a good idea right now?"

  "Severus, it's wasn't my idea, it was Dumbledore's, so I expect it was good enough," Minerva said sternly.  "Besides, I'm sure Jennifer can more than handle any trouble they might encounter."  Severus then decided wisely to say nothing, but Jennifer took one look at his face and stood up, throwing her stuff back in the Puzzlebox.

  "I have a meeting with Hermione in the morning.   I can pick her up around noon if she wants to go," Jennifer said, ignoring the questioning expression on Severus' face.

  "Good, I was just heading over there so I will invite her for you," Minerva said with a smile.

  "Great!  Mind if I walk down the hall with you?  It might be too dangerous for me to walk to my classroom alone.  I might run into a fly and not be able to defend myself," Jennifer muttered, following Minerva out.  Minerva chuckled.

  "Now, Jennifer, I understand how you feel but you have to admit, you've had quite a few close calls over the years."

  "I've also saved several others from close calls," Jennifer pointed out.  "Besides, I'm the Defense teacher.  Getting nearly killed once or more a year is part of the job description."  Minerva laughed as they walked out into the hall.  Behind them, Severus leaned against the door, drumming his fingers with a frown on his face.

    Anna, as it turned out, had decided to come to the newspaper meeting in the morning, and was already going over the copy with Hermione when Jennifer arrived.  As they chatted over the changes, Jennifer suggested that next paper they do a feature on some of the things planned for the festival.  Once she explained that she was going to Hogsmeade and might have an approved list later in the week, Hermione had quickly gained interest, and found an opportunity to ask if they'd pick up some things for her.  Jennifer quickly refused, citing she'd get pinned for favoritism for sure, but Anna, who didn't have such worries offered to do it.

  Hermione quickly excused herself, and came back accompanied by Harry, Ron, and Ginny, who all had their lists and coin pouches.  Jennifer, seeing she wasn't about to get any more work done, reminded Hermione to get the final copy in to Minerva by Wednesday, and waited for Anna to sort everything out so they could head to town.

  "Honeydukes, Honeydukes, Honeydukes, and Honeydukes," Anna read, flipping through the papers just after they got there.  Jennifer chuckled at that.  "I take it from the lists that's the local candy shop.  I see chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts on here."

  "Yes, but we have to meet Rosmerta first.  We'll go there next.  Honeydukes is one of the best magic candy stores there is, but nobody passes the Three Brooms without going in," Jennifer said as if it were a sin to even think about it.

  As they headed towards the pub, Jennifer was vaguely aware of people stopping to look at them, whispering to each other.  Jennifer had long felt she was under intense scrutiny…since the moment she was first made a teacher, in fact.  But at the Brooms everyone smiled at them as they came in and Jennifer immediately felt the coldness lift as they walked towards the back tables.  Her eyes searched the room, finally making eye contact with one of the waitresses and held up two fingers then one and then an open hand, and the waitresses waved to show she understood.

  "It's always busy in here.  It really is one of the best places to relax and you can always learn what's going on here…what's _really_ going on, I mean," Jennifer explained as they took a table.

  "Jennifer!  Hello!" Jennifer and Anna looked up into Rosmerta's warm, ageless smile.  She was carrying a tray of drinks, which she set on the table.  "Butterbeers on the house, since we're working together today.  Who is this?  I've met you before, I'm quite certain," Rosmerta said, smiling at Anna.

  "You might have, this is Anna Hughes, but you might have heard of her as Titiana.  She's Severus' sister," Jennifer said.  Rosmerta's face brightened.

  "I should have guessed!  I heard you had returned home!  Goodness, I haven't seen you since you could barely see over the table.  And you look so much like your mother too, except perhaps for the eyes, there's a bit of your father's bedevilment there, no mistake about it," Rosmerta winked.  "I'm Rosmerta, of course.  Feel free to drop in any time and visit, I would love to get to know you, and I'm a good listener."

  "She doesn't miss much, either," Jennifer grinned and nodded to Anna.  "I trust Rosmerta completely.  If you ever need someone outside of the school to talk to, this is a great place to come."

  "You flatter me, even if you are right," Rosmerta grinned.  "I have a list for you with who I'd recommend inviting to the festival, and I want to say I love this idea of yours, Jennifer, it was the perfect solution."

  "As long as you're happy, the students are happy, and Dumbledore's happy," Jennifer chuckled glancing over it.  "Oh, good, glad Honeydukes is on the list, I think there'd be a revolt if there wasn't."

  "Oh, my yes.  Honeydukes have been allies of the school for years and years," Rosmerta assured her.  "All of these have.  You'll not get any trouble from any of them.  In fact, the school will probably be much better off with some of them around for a few days.  Not that I expect any trouble, but with you-no-who about, you never know.  Pity what happened to the train, though.  I hear everything will be worked out by spring?"

  "Yes, the plans have all been worked out, it's just a matter of having enough time to enchant and fix it all.  One thing's for sure, no one will ever be able to get that close to sabotaging the train ever again," Jennifer said, taking a sip of the Butterbeer.  Rosmerta looked at her thoughtfully.

  "We can't protect everything, no matter how hard we try, and hindsight is always so much clearer than foresight.  But I can tell you one thing, and that is that there's still much darkness ahead of us to get through, and it's closing in even as we speak," Rosmerta said.

  "We've all made it this far," Jennifer said.

  "Just because we still have all of our pieces, doesn't mean we're winning the chess game," Rosmerta said, looking steadily at Jennifer.  Jennifer nodded and Rosmerta smiled, tapping the shop list again.  "Stick with the list, now.  And tell Albus not to be a stranger around here, eh?" she winked, getting up.  "Nice meeting you, Anna."  Jennifer turned back to Anna, who was looking thoughtful, swiveling her mug around.

  Honeydukes was unusually slow without the school around, so the two women found they had the run of the shop with plenty of room to look around and explore.  Jennifer ended up helping with Anna's list, being able to point out where everything was, as well as pick up a bag of cauldron licorice for Severus and some frogs for herself.  They then hit the joke shop (which Anna couldn't help but picking up some extras of some of the student's requests for herself), and the Divination shop, which Anna seemed particularly interested in.  Jennifer entered a little more cautiously, wondering why it had been left off the invitation list.  A gypsy-clad woman was at the desk, smiling thoughtfully at them as they came in, and Anna went over to the crystal counter.

  "We've got shops similar to this one on the other side, believe it or not," Anna told Jennifer.  "I guess some forms of magic still coexist in both?"

  "Well, there's always been a lot of debate if some of this is true magic or not," Jennifer muttered in Anna's ear.  "But who wants to take a chance?  I'm sure all of us have a good luck charm or two.  Like those little potion bottles over there; they're supposed to bring good luck to a relationship.  They were really a popular fad last year." 

  But Anna didn't really seem interested in the bottles.  Instead, her eyes were transfixed on a large, circular blue-green gem that was being displayed on a golden three-legged stand beneath a glass counter lined with purple velvet.

  "That is our finest aura stone in the shop, the Serpent's Eye," the gypsy woman explained when Anna asked about it.  "We bought it off a collector who found it deep beneath the ocean near the Isle of Man.  It radiates very soothing, peaceful magic, and can protect you from evil presences while you sleep."  Jennifer glanced over at it, totally nonplussed.

  "It's a nicely cut aura stone, Anna.  It's a gem where magic essence has rubbed off on it, but it doesn't really do anything."

  "Aura stones are meant to be absorbed, they are passive tools to heighten your meditations by adding subtle resonance to the air around you," the woman explained, ignoring Jennifer.  "I sense some powerful disturbances in you.  I am sure this would be perfect to ease your mind.  And very reasonable; fifteen galleons for this precious jewel."

  "Fifteen galleons?  You have got to be kidding.  For that rock?"  Jennifer said in disbelief even as Anna began counting out the galleons and handing them over.

  "I like it, so I'm buying it.  Besides, why does everything have to do something?  I've tons of jewelry that doesn't do anything but look nice.  That's what jewelry is supposed to be for," Anna said, watching as the woman carefully wrapped up the stone and put it in a tight package.  "Thanks!"  Jennifer shook her head as the two of them walked out, and Anna couldn't help but get a bit irritated.  "Come on, Jennifer.  You can't tell me you don't own something that doesn't 'do' anything.  What about all those chains you have on?  How about your engagement ring?"

  "This ring is probably worth more than everything else I own combined, it's a Dragonheart diamond," Jennifer said.  "They're legendary, you know.  I can always tell what Severus is feeling by the colors I see when I look at it."  Jennifer glanced at it now, frowning slightly at the yellowish grey color that usually meant he was worried about something.  Anna glanced at Jennifer but didn't say anything.  "You know what the watch does, and the other two chains are my bank key and, well, one of those potion bottles," Jennifer admitted sheepishly.  "But I certainly didn't pay fifteen galleons for it."

  Suddenly Jennifer stopped short in the middle of the street, the color washing from her face.  Anna looked at her curiously, and then followed her gaze up the road to where she saw Sirius and Remus speaking with Severus, who was walking up to them from a different direction.  But Jennifer must have seen something Anna had not because she had quickly bolted a few steps ahead, pulling out her wand and intoning, "_Stupefy!_"

  The Severus figure blasted backwards as Sirius and Remus drew their wands and turned towards her, completely surprised to see Jennifer standing there.

  "Watch out, it's Pettigrew!" Jennifer yelled.  Remus immediately turned around, taking a few steps over to where Jennifer had blasted him, but no there was no sign of him.

  "Jennifer, get Anna out of here, we'll find him," Sirius said, glancing up the hill and back at Remus.  Upon the hill was an old shack, that long been barricaded by spells and barriers.  But for some reason, right now it lay unprotected, and Jennifer suddenly began to feel a heavy sense of dread and recognized the source at once.

  "Dementors, and a lot of them.  I'm not sure the town can handle it," Jennifer said worriedly. "But we need to warn them!"  Jennifer raced back behind a couple of the shops, Anna shouting at her to hold up as she tried to follow. 

  Anna sensed something as well…a hunger…an overpowering hunger of fear and despair that lashed out towards them like a veil of death and hopelessness.  And then she felt a strange anger growing in her, an anger she couldn't quite explain, until she found herself stopping cold as a group of four black shapes veered down towards them from a large group coming out of the shack on the hill.

  "_Expecto Patronum!_"  Jennifer called out and pointed as one of them neared her.  A great white Unicorn leaped out of her wand, charging down the black-cloaked form.  But the others had gathered around her even as he wailed in pain, removing their hoods intent on destroying their sworn enemy. 

  Without even thinking, Anna rushed to Jennifer's side as a bright light began glowing about her, surging over Jennifer as well as herself.  Suddenly she unleashed a powerful burst of energy, lashing out at the Dementors with undeniable force and destroying the Dementors within a single instant, obliterating them into nothingness.  Jennifer had instinctively covered her eyes from the blinding light, staggering back slightly as she tried to refocus.  Beside her, Anna suddenly sank to her knees, looking exhausted and dazed.

  "That was incredible.  Can all Aethermages do stuff like that?  Never mind, no time.  I can feel more of them, lots more," Jennifer said, getting up.  "I'm going to go help."

  "Wait, I'm exhausted, and I'm not sure what I just did," Anna said, trying to stand up.  "We can't possibly take on more!"

  "Ha, I've taken on an entire army of Dementors before, I can handle them," Jennifer said resolutely.  "Well, I admit, I was able to ride a Unicorn at the time so that helped, but I'm certainly not going to let them overrun this town."

  "Overrun the town?"  Anna said.  "No, can't let them do that.  Let me help…"

  "Anna, you don't even look like you can stand up let alone do whatever it is you just did again!  Why don't you go to the Three Brooms?  You'll be safer there," Jennifer insisted, glancing back up the hill.  There was a flash of light, and Jennifer heard the irritated cry of a Dementor and a dog barking.  "I have to go!" she said, turning back around towards Anna to plead with her to leave.  However, whatever she had been planning to say to convince her to go fell dead on her lips when she looked around.  Standing before her, looking straight at her was a white-horned Unicorn.  "Holy stars above!  Anna? You're an Animagus?  And you're a Unicorn?"  Jennifer flailed in surprise.  "How can you possibly know how to do that?"

_  I don't know, I've done it before, but never mind that now, what am I supposed to do?_  Jennifer heard in her mind, coming from the pleading black eyes of the Unicorn.  Taking a deep breath and feeling extremely awkward but determined to see it through, Jennifer leapt on her back, grabbing onto her mane as she had learned to do on that fateful ride two years ago.  _You're pulling my hair!_

"Work with me here, I know you're new at this and I wasn't exactly planning to do this again myself," Jennifer said, trying to stay on besides Anna's restless hoofing.  "Come on, let's go after those Dementors!  Just keep your head down and charge," Jennifer said, leaning forward as Anna took off at an unsteady gallop along the side of the hill.  It was then that they spotted the main fray beginning to descend upon Remus, the Patronus spells flying as he tried to hold them off and the dog quickly turning back into Sirius to try and help him.

 Anna charged forward as a spell fired off above her head, and the hill was suddenly filled with Unicorns, some made of spirit from the tip of Jennifer's wand, and one real as Dementors disintegrated from one piercing blow of her horn.  Jennifer began to feel a sudden kinship, much like what she had felt when she had ridden Keki.  Although not so intimate in thought or emotion as it had been then, Jennifer and Anna soon found they could easily direct each other, surrounding up the Dementors as they appeared, destroying what they could and chasing the others away.  Jennifer then rode up to Sirius and Remus, their wands still out and ready for anything.

  "Where's Pettigrew?" Jennifer asked when they came into range.

  "Still around somewhere, I think," Remus said, "We chased him up here when the wave of Dementors hit us."

  "Where's Anna, is she safe?" Sirius asked.  Jennifer grinned mischievously.

  "Why, are you worried about her?" she taunted him.

  "Jennifer, we just faced off a dozen Dementors, I'm not in the mood to play games. Where is she?"  Sirius snapped irritably.

  "Right here," Jennifer said calmly, hopping down.  "And you both would probably have been dog chow if it hadn't been for us, so we at least deserve a thank you."

  It was then that a strange look came over Sirius' face, one of incredulous wonder and disbelief, staring at Anna as she returned to her normal form.  Jennifer realized she had seen an echo of that look before directed towards her long ago when she led the Unicorns to battle against the Dementors.  Now at last she understood as he did what he had been looking for, just as sure as he had found it.  It was the same look that she had once seen on Severus the first time they danced, when he finally admitted to himself that she was the one he wanted to be with.

  "Thank you, especially for the warning, Jennifer.  He would have killed us both then and there if you hadn't spotted him," Remus said, bringing Jennifer out of her memories.  "But now he's gotten away again."

  "You sure he's not inside?" Jennifer asked.

  "Wait a minute, Jennifer, remember what happened the last time we tried to follow Pettigrew into a place like that," Remus said.  "Let's not get stuck in another trap."

  "We can't just let him go," Jennifer said, "Especially with that Polyjuice potion on him.  Who knows what kind of mischief he's going to try and get into?  How in the heck did he get the components to make that?"

  "I'd like to know the same thing, same as for the other potions he acquired," Remus agreed, "and this one would imply it's coming from inside the school."  Jennifer and Remus exchanged worried glances.  Anna, ignoring the unnerving look that Sirius was giving her, glanced towards the forest on the far side of the hill.

  "There's more Dementors down there," she said, then immediately started that way.  Jennifer quickly followed as did Remus, and Sirius returned to dog form and hurried to run slightly ahead of Anna.  After they had gotten a few feet in, Sirius stopped and growled, bristling.  Five more Dementors appeared, and wands were quickly brandished as Jennifer and Remus cast their Patronuses at two of them.  It was then that Remus and Sirius became witnesses to what Jennifer had already experienced just a few moments before as Anna ran forward, a bright, blinding glow forming around her as she neared the Dementors.  They tried to flee as the light began to overtake them, but it was too late, the burst dissipated them into oblivion.

  "How…" Remus started in amazement, before catching himself, "…effective."  But suddenly Sirius leaped forward and back into his human form just in time to catch Anna as she collapsed from exhaustion.

  "Ugh!  I forgot, she did this last time too," Jennifer said flustered, heading over to her as Sirius laid her down.  "It's my fault, I was so surprised when you changed shape…"

  "I didn't feel this bad as a Unicorn, at least…I can have a little control over attacking them then."  Remus and Sirius glanced at each other.

  "You'd better return to your other form until we can get you back," Remus suggested.  "The edge of the forest isn't far from here, you'll be safe once we get there.  They don't dare go in there any more."

  "What about Pettigrew?" Jennifer asked.

  "I'll go find him," Sirius said, changing into dog form and running off before Remus could stop him.  Remus sighed softly and shook his head.

  "So much for our order to stay together.  Come on, let's get you back," Remus insisted.  Anna slowly changed back into a Unicorn.  Remus led the way, Anna and Jennifer not far behind as they headed up the tree-lined hills that marked the eastern border of the forest that lay between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts.  It was just as they were getting ready to crest the first hill that suddenly Anna neighed and took a few steps back

  "What is it, Anna?  What's wrong?"  Jennifer asked

  _Evil, something evil, must go back_, Anna thought, and then bolted towards town.

  "Wait!  Wait, not so fast!"  Jennifer said, and then flailed in exasperation.  "Oh, great stars, what now?"  Remus sighed, looking just as exasperated.

  "We go after her.  Not like we have much choice in the matter, is it?"  Remus said, turning around.  "I think I can see a quicker way back down, come on."  The two of them rushed down the side, following a rocky slope where rock had once been quarried so the way was clear of trees and brush that would slow them down.  Perhaps they should have been a bit more wary, considering it made them more easily seen.  It had not occurred to them until they reached the bottom of the hill, where leaning against a tree with arms folded was the visage of Severus Snape that obviously wasn't him.

  "Why, if it isn't Jennifer Craw, what a pleasant surprise.  Going out of your way to make me notice you, again, aren't you?  Knocking me off my feet, rushing to defeat my servants, and still being able to ride a Unicorn after all this time, quite amazing!  But then, you always were in a category all by yourself, weren't you?" Pettigrew said glibly, ignoring the wands pointed at him.  "Hello again, Moony.  Aren't you and Padfoot ever going to give up chasing me?  It's pointless, you know."

  "We're not going to stop until you're dead," Remus snarled.

  "Fine, kill me then.  As you can see, I've no wand out.  I'm sure few will miss me, except perhaps those I serve.  What are you waiting for?" he asked, a strange smile playing on his face.

  "Turn away, Jennifer," Remus said insistently, his eyes never leaving the polymorphed Pettigrew.  Jennifer gazed over at him thoughtfully.  So that's it, he didn't want her to see him kill even the semblance of her fiancé, afraid of how she'd view it afterwards.  But at the same time, Jennifer knew that Pettigrew was toying with them, and there was no fear of them or death in his face.

  "Don't do it, Remus, back up," Jennifer hissed at him, looking back over at Pettigrew to try and discern what the man had in mind.

   "You have nothing to fear, pet.  I have no intention of harming you.  Unfortunately, dear Moony is going to find himself dead by the hands of Severus Snape, who caught him trying to steal his fiancée… who also seemed to mysteriously disappear after the incident.  Pity, that," Pettigrew smirked and dropped something out of his hand.

  A puff of deep purple smoke exploded into the air by their feet, and it didn't take long for Jennifer to figure out what it was as she heard a pained cry beside her.

  "Howling powder!" Jennifer screamed in dismay.  The nasty mix of pollens had an immediate adrenalin effect, inducing an immediate change in Remus into his werewolf form.

  "Don't worry, he won't live long enough to feel much pain," Pettigrew's voice assured her from the fog.  "He has to be in this form for this concoction to work but I trust it'll be fairly instantaneous."

  "_Mist repel_!"  Jennifer cast, a breeze drifting upwards to try to clear away the smoke.  It was just as Remus was getting up from his transformation that Jennifer saw a phial being thrown. Crying out with alarm, she pointed at it with her wand and stopped it in its tracks, tossing it into the woods a fair distance away where it exploded.

  The werewolf suddenly lunged and took a fearsome strike at Pettigrew.  Jennifer backed up, fumbling in her pockets until she found the phial she was looking for.  She heard an outraged roar and looked up to see Pettigrew holding the monster's arm with his silver hand, clenching it with unnatural force.

  "_Accidio!_" Jennifer intoned, casting a weaken spell that enveloped Pettigrew in green sickly light.  The werewolf grabbed a hold of him, struggling to get his other claw free.  In a bone-snapping, lightning fast move, Remus jaws bit just above Pettigrew's arm, causing him to cry out in excruciating pain.  Jennifer, filled with horror at the sight of the attack, found herself paralyzed, closing her eyes to try and shield herself from the scene, but knowing that she should be doing something, anything, even running would be better than witnessing it.  It was only after the screaming stopped that she became alert again, opening her eyes to see the werewolf hunched over the ground, slightly confused to lose its Disapparated prey.  He looked up as if noticing her for the first time, and Jennifer forced herself into action, throwing the phial directly at the ground, smashing it against the rocks as a heavy layer of sand rained from it.  She dove out of range, afraid of getting caught in the wake of the powder.  It was then that she heard a loud _thud _as the werewolf hit the ground, falling into the dust.  With any luck, he was asleep and was going to stay that way for a while. 

  Jennifer turned over on her back, allowing herself to take a breath, gather her thoughts, and rub her eyes.  She knew it had been Pettigrew, she knew it.  Why couldn't she get the picture of Severus being attacked out of her mind?  In fact, she realized that was why she hadn't tried to harm him herself.  That's why she had been willing, undeniably willing, just to stand back and let Remus, probably barely even aware of what he was doing, to try and finish him off.  Was it really Severus's image that had held her back?  Or was it the same thing that always held her back, she wondered.  In any case, she found herself feeling guilty for allowing it to go the way it did, and now Pettigrew…Pettigrew was going to be even more dangerous than ever before.

  "Jennifer?" Jennifer heard her name called and someone approaching but didn't bother getting up, her eyes blinking from staring up at the sun as she tried to focus in on him.  "Good god!  Remus!  Jennifer, are you all right?"

  "I'm fine.  Don't touch him, Sirius, he's covered in sleep exhalent and it's extremely potent.  You'll end up falling asleep too.  Don't worry about the blood, it's not his.  It's Pettigrew's."

  "Where is he?"

  "He fled after he got bit," Jennifer sighed.  Sirius stopped cold and stared at her.  She nodded soberly.  "And if you don't mind, I'd like to just lay here for a minute and keep myself from thinking too hard about that."  Sirius slumped to the ground, watching Remus sleep and staring at the pool of blood underneath him.

  "Maybe he won't survive?  Looks like he got hurt pretty bad," Sirius said hopefully.

  "I don't know how bad it was, I couldn't bring myself to watch," Jennifer admitted quietly.  "Disease will probably take him before that happens anyhow, unfortunately."  She rolled over on her side to look over at them, oblivious to the rocky ground beneath her.  "He was going to kill Remus and try to frame Severus for it," Jennifer said softly, shaking her head.  "Some people never learn."

  "Good thing you happened by when you did.  We would not have realized it until it was too late," Sirius said.  "You know, I bet he was planning to take me on, and Moony was a backup plan.  No one would even blink if they woke up one morning to hear Severus Snape having murdered me.  Not like he didn't have a motive."

  "Like?" Jennifer said, quickly sitting up to try and get a look at his face.  But Sirius quickly got up.

  "We'd better get him under cover.  How long have we got before he changes back?"  Sirius asked.

  "Not too long being induced by magic instead of the moon.  He should sleep longer than that if Severus' powder holds, which I'm sure now it will," Jennifer said, watching Remus.

  "Anna is with Madame Rosmerta.  She gave her something to make her feel better.  Why don't I go get her and we'll take Remus to my place, then I'll take you guys home.  You'll be okay here for a moment?" Sirius asked.

  "Yeah, I doubt he'll be coming back any time soon," Jennifer nodded.  "Er, and Sirius…"

  "Hm?"

  "Let's not mention this whole thing to Severus right away, huh?"  Jennifer suggested.  The last thing she needed to hear right now was another conversation about how he shouldn't ever let her go anywhere without him.

  "Let's see, Wormtail trying to be him, his own sister changing into a Unicorn and blasting Dementors with fiancée in tow, his fiancée having to face Wormtail _and_ an enraged werewolf by herself…no, he's definitely not hearing about this one from me," Sirius said.  "In fact, I have every intention of being very, very far away when he finds out," he chuckled as he headed to get Anna.


	19. Limitations

Chapter Nineteen

Limitations

  It was just after breakfast that Sunday as Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny were beginning to talk out their plans for the day that the paper came.  A sudden shockwave rumbled through the Great Hall as the sound of a forcefully slammed door echoed through the open door in the back.

  Dean Thomas rushed in, looking slightly out of breath as if he had just had a close call with doom, hurrying over to the Gryffindor table.

  "What's wrong, Dean?"  Ron asked when he came past to talk to Seamus.

  "Snape's in a snit again.  Actually, I haven't seen him this bad in while.  He came billowin' out of the staff room and down the corridor, newspaper in one hand, and watch in the other.  Door didn't survive it.  We'll have to give it a nice careful burial."

  "Uh oh, did you say watch?" Hermione said, then dove for the paper.  Ron beat her to it, rolling it out as Harry grabbed for his.

  "_Notorious Hogwarts Professor Allegedly Saves Hogsmeade from Dementor Invasion_.  Boy, I tell you.  We spend our entire day working on our own paper, while she's off busy making stories for theirs," Ron said.

  "Oh come on, Ron, you know that paper has been printing all sorts of rubbish about her lately."

  "Yes, but they got a picture this time!  At least that ought to dispel all the trash on the gossip page about her," Ron said, laying the paper down.  Hermione leaned over.

  "Wow, that's an awesome picture!  And what a beautiful Unicorn!"  Hermione said.  The photograph captured Craw and the Unicorn in mid-stride, and as they watched they galloped towards several dark shapes along the hillside below a familiar shack.  Harry looked closer, making out two other familiar figures standing among the Dementors.  And written in tiny letters below the paper were the words:  Photograph courtesy of Madame Rosmerta of Hogsmeade.

  "That's Sirius and Remus, I'm sure of it!  Wonder if this is why he didn't come to Hagrid's last night," Harry said.

  "I don't see Anna anywhere.  I thought she was going to get our things?"  Ginny asked Hermione.

  "What does it say, about Anna, Ron?  Here, give me that!"  Hermione said, trying to snatch the paper as he pulled it away.

  "I'm not done yet!  I don't see anything about Anna.  It says here that the Dementors somehow appeared from out of the condemned residence, and that Craw with the help of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were able to drive them back.  Others reportedly saw the three of them getting into a confrontation with Professor Snape just a few minutes before but there is no word as of yet if the two incidents were related.  See gossip column for more information on that issue.  Isn't that just like them?  I swear, every time they print something about her they refer people to the gossip column," Ron said, immediately turning to find it. 

  "Woah, look at this picture!  Awesome!  This just can't be for real!" Ron said, looking amazed.  "Man, I'm going to frame this."  Hermione got behind him in annoyance and pulled out the corned to get a better look, her jaw dropping.

  "Well, now we know why Snape went haywire when the paper arrived," she winced.

  "Don't hog the paper, show us!" Ginny said in annoyance.  Curiosity getting the better of him, Harry flipped to the back and put in on the table, looking at it with a confused expression.  There in the photograph was Professor Craw, standing by Anna in the middle of the main street with her wand out as if she had just cast a spell and Severus Snape being thrown back away from a surprised looking Sirius Black and Remus Lupin standing close by, diving for their wands.  It was followed by the headline, _Snape Snap-casted Senseless by Furious Fiancée, is this Match Over?_

"This doesn't make any sense at all," Harry said, shaking his head.   "Snape was here all day yesterday."

  "There are ways," Hermione reminded him, remembering the Time-Turner she herself had used several years ago.  In fact, it had ended up saving Sirius Black's life.

  "Yes, I know there are ways, but this just isn't right.  There's no way that Craw would have done such a thing to him."

  "You're right, Harry.  We'd better find out what's really going on here," Hermione agreed, quickly stacking her books.  Ron and Ginny exchanged glances, but didn't say anything.

  "Hey guys!" Corey Willowby bounded in from the hall, earning a groan from Ron.  Harry couldn't help but agree that Corey was a bit of a pest, but he really did mean well.  Ron had once noted that at times he could be as just as much trouble as his older twin brothers rolled together into one person.  "Did you see Snape?  Boy, I think he hit 7.2 on the Richter scale," he grinned.  "I'm gonna go see where he went."

  "Better not bother him right now, Corey.  He's mad at Craw this time," Harry told him.  Corey brightened even more.

  "Now I definitely don't want to miss it!  Hope they went to the office.  I want to try out my new toy," he said, bringing out a short fluted glass with a flat bottom.

  "Corey, where did you get a Snoop Glass?  Those aren't allowed at Hogwarts.  If Filch finds you with it, you're in for it for sure," Hermione warned him.  "In fact, I ought to turn you in."

  "Don't be so stuck up, Hermione," Corey said with exasperation.  "I want to go hear Snape get reamed."

  "Don't you mean Craw?" Ginny asked.

  "Nah, no way, she's got him wrapped around her little finger tighter than string.  I'll see you later," he said, heading back to the door.

  "Wait, Corey!" Hermione said, trying to be firm.

  "Hang on a moment, Corey, I'm coming too," Ron said, getting up and following.

  "We'd better go reel them in before they get us all in trouble," Harry said to the others.  "I think right now we're much better off trying to get answers from Sirius anyhow.  Ginny, when we catch up, you try talk Corey into staying out of this, he normally listens to you."

  "Right you are," Ginny agreed as they got up.  In fact, Harry suspected he had a slight crush on her.  They found them on the back stair heading up from the dungeons, looking disappointed.

  "No sign of them.  Bet they're in her room," Corey said.

  "Well, you're definitely not going to start snooping up there." Hermione said.

  "Yes, but see I have some homework to turn in, so I'll just go up and knock," Corey said, grinning.

  "That can wait, Corey.  Don't you think they deserve a little bit of space?" Ginny said, folding her arms and frowning at him.

  "What's wrong with a little healthy curiosity?  From what I've been hearing it's not like all of you keep your noses clean either," Corey said defiantly.  "Come on, seriously, don't you want to know what's really going on?"

  "Maybe we ought to take him along.  He's just going to get into trouble if we leave him on his own," Ginny said.

  "Yeah!  Where we going?"  Corey asked with interest.

  "No, he's not been given permission to go anywhere.  Corey, why don't you just go find out what Taylor and Doug are up to?  I'm sure they're doing something much more interesting," Hermione said.

  "No they're not, they're in detention," Corey explained.  "I narrowly escaped it myself.  But I'm totally free today, so can I hang with you guys?"

  Just then they heard footsteps on the stairs from above them, and Corey quickly stuffed his Snoop Glass in his pocket, still looking at them expectantly.  Ron, standing behind Corey, was shaking his head at Harry pleadingly.  Hermione didn't look too thrilled with the idea either.  But before Harry could say anything Snape came into view on the stairwell, followed closely behind by Craw.  He stopped short when he saw them with Craw on a higher step peering over his shoulder thoughtfully.

  "What are you Gryffindors doing lurking in the stairwell?  Don't you have anything better to do?" Snape snapped, his voice lined with pure irritation.

  "I was looking for Professor Craw.  I got my homework assignment done, Professor," Corey said quickly, taking a crumpled paper from his pocket and straightening it easily with a spell.  Craw sighed softly, passing Snape to reach the landing.

  "Well, it's about time, Corey.  You know, if you keep this up you really are going to completely ruin Gryffindor's chances this year on points," Craw chided him, holding her hand out and taking the paper.  She then took a moment to study all their faces before settling again on Corey.  "So what are you really up to, Corey?" she asked, watching him a moment.

  "Nothing, just hanging out with the seventh years today," Corey said cheerfully.  Jennifer then put out her other hand at Corey, frowning at him.  "What?"

  "You know what.  Hand it over this instant, Corey, or Flitwick is going to find another helper today," Craw demanded, her face unusually serious.  Reluctantly, Corey took out the Snoop Glass and handed it over to her.  She immediately passed it back to Snape, who took it and glared at all of them suspiciously.  "Where did you get it?"

  "I bought it off Amadeus Longbottom," Corey admitted.  Craw and Snape exchanged glances.

  "We're going to have a long talk about this later," Craw told him sternly, and then continued to head down the stairs.

  "Not right now?" Corey asked, curiously.  "I got time."

  "This may be a big surprise to you, Mr. Willowby, but the world does not revolve around your existence," Snape said, "and if I were you, I'd be very glad of that fact at the moment, or I'd have something to say about this as well.  Potter, since you're obviously not doing anything productive, would you mind coming down to my office?"

  "Oh, uh…sure," Harry said, wondering how he got mixed up in this.

  "Anything I can help with?" Corey asked.

  "No, Corey, just stay with Hermione, okay?" Craw said, trying to hide her exasperation.  "Hermione, try and keep him out of trouble for a little while if you can."

  Snape took a glance back as if to indicate that he doubted all of their abilities to stay out of trouble, but said nothing as he followed Craw down to the dungeon.

  "I'll be right back, guys.  Let's meet in the courtyard, and I'll try to contact Sirius from there," Harry whispered to them before heading down the stairs.

  "I swear.  He gets all the luck, doesn't he?  He gets to do anything he wants around here," Corey said after they'd gone.

  "Actually, I really doubt he wanted to go down there, and if you had any sense at all, you wouldn't want to either," Ron said as they headed out of the stairwell.  "What do you think he wanted Harry for?  It was obviously a spur of the moment decision."

  "I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Ginny said.  As it turned out, they had not had long to wait before Harry came back out, looking thoughtful.

  "So, what was all that about?" Corey asked before anyone else had a chance to say anything.

  "Oh, he just wanted me to talk to Rasputin.  They seem to be concerned about people getting in Snape's office that shouldn't be," Harry said thoughtfully.  "I also stopped to send Hedwig to look for Sirius.  If he's home or in the forest, we should know soon."

  "Wow, you mean we might go in the Dark Forest?  I thought that wasn't allowed," Corey excitedly.

  "You're not.  In fact, you should probably stay here," Hermione told Corey.

 "Nope, Professor Craw said to stay with you guys so that's what I'm going to do," Corey grinned.

  "Since when are you an advocate of doing what you're told?" Ron asked him.

  "Well, I don't want to get in any more trouble than I am already in," Corey explained.

  Hedwig dropped down then and Harry put his arm out, petting her gently as he accepted the note.

  "He's at the house.  Come on, let's go find somewhere quiet so we can leave," Harry said.

  "What about Corey?" Ginny asked.

  "Craw took an awful long look at us.  I'm sure she knows what we were planning, so I'd guess it's all right," Harry shrugged.  "I'm sure she has her reasons."  They headed out the gate of the castle and away from the grounds, then making sure no one else was around had everyone hold onto him as he took hold of his house port key. 

  Their surroundings melted away, and Corey found himself in front of a small house nestled in between the mountains.  No roads led there, nor hardly a trail.  With that exception, nothing else seemed very remarkable about it; rather homey in appearance, in fact.  Just then the door opened and Sirius Black looked out, smiling warmly at Harry and telling them to come in, pausing to look curiously at Corey.

  "Sirius, this is Corey Willowby," Harry introduced, "he's a friend of Professor Craw's and ours."

  "Ah, yes, I've heard of you," Sirius said with amusement.  "You're the one McGonagall calls the Reigning Terror of Gryffindor, aren't you?"

  "Yeah, I don't think she likes me too much," Corey admitted.  "This is the first weekend since school started that I haven't been in detention.  Fortunately, I was doing _last_ week's detention when Taylor and Doug got in trouble, so I ended up escaping this week's," he explained, looking pleased with himself.

  "A Hogwarts student after my own heart," Sirius said amusedly.  As they came in, Corey became aware of another man in the room.  Sitting in a comfortable chair looking disheveled and tired was another wizard, harboring a strange haunted look in his eyes as he gazed into his steaming teacup.  "The kids are here, Remus, I told you it wouldn't take them long to figure out something was up.  And this is Corey Willowby, a friend of Jennifer's."  Corey couldn't help but wonder all the sudden why they kept referring to him as a friend of hers, not really understanding why it would matter.  But Remus looked up at him and offered him a weak yet warm smile.

  "So what's the paper going on about, Sirius?  We know it's definitely not telling the whole story," Harry asked.

  "Paper?  What did the paper say?" Sirius asked, suddenly worried.  Remus also looked extremely worried, watching as Harry handed him the paper.

  "Anything about…unusual werewolf sightings?" Remus asked.

  "No," Harry said, looking at him strangely.  Wasn't it the wrong moon for that?  "It's mostly about Professor Craw.  And I was hoping you'd explain maybe what the picture in the gossip column was all about too, because I am getting the feeling that wasn't Snape."

  "Hang on, hang on," Sirius said, reading through the first story and fumbling to the next.  Grimacing, he handed it to Remus.  "No, Harry, that wasn't Snape.  That was Pettigrew.  Take a look at the second picture, Moony, they have a good picture of Anna there, too."

  "Do you think anyone will make the connection?"  Remus said thoughtfully as he stopped to look at the pictures before reading the articles.

  "I don't know.  We should probably talk to Dumbledore about it," Sirius sighed, sitting down.

  "What connection would that be?" Harry asked.  Remus and Sirius exchanged thoughtful glances.

  "Anna is the Unicorn on the front page, Harry," Sirius said.  "But I'd rather that not be public knowledge just yet until I figure out what Dumbledore thinks of it.  It's not supposed to be public knowledge that she's even here.  I'm sure he'd want to keep this quiet."

  "Don't worry, we won't say anything," Harry said, and the others (including Corey who had only seen her around the school from time to time and didn't really know her) agreed.

  "It explains a lot, though.  I wondered how Craw managed to pull off riding a Unicorn," Corey quipped before getting jabbed in the side by Ginny who was standing next to him.

  "Well, at least Rosmerta somehow managed to convince the paper to print a complementary story about her," Remus said, "Although with all the damage done already, I'm not sure it'll make much difference."

  "So, the person in the other picture you say was Pettigrew?  Like he took a polyjuice potion?" Hermione asked.

  "Yes, he had come up to us asking if we'd found Pettigrew yet, and was suggesting that we try the shack when Jennifer came out, spotted him and stupefied him.  Then he just seemed to Disapparate with the spell full force on him," Sirius sighed.

  "That's what happened in the caverns too," Harry nodded. 

  "He must have some sort of device on him that automatically relocates him if it's hit," Hermione said.

  "Likely.  Whatever it is, it's quite annoying.  We could have had him by now," Sirius muttered.

  "And now, thanks to me, he'll be harder to get rid of than ever," Remus said, sounding bitter.

  "No, the only one to blame is Pettigrew himself," Sirius said.  "He's the only one responsible for what happened out there."  Suddenly he noticed the five pairs of eyes staring at him curiously and decided to quickly change the conversation.  "You know, we need to find out how he got that potion."

  "You think it was someone inside the school?" asked Ginny.

  "It's really the most likely place it could have happened, if you think about it," Hermione said.  "I mean, where else does Snape go?"

  "Usually when he's out and about he's with either Jennifer, Dumbledore, or me," Sirius said.  "Ever since he left the Death Eaters for good he's been extremely cautious."

  "Snape would never let his guard down outside of Hogwarts, alone or otherwise.  It is more likely to have been in the school," Harry agreed.

  "So, it's a student?" Hermione asked thoughtfully.  "Because if the same student made the other potions as well, it has to be a pretty advanced one.  Professor Craw seemed to imply that enchantment potion was far from basic."

  "Whoever it is also has access to some rather rare ingredients as well," Remus added.

  "Well, that explains why Professor Craw and Snape were worried about Snape's office earlier," Harry said.

  "Professor Craw has a lot of rare ingredients in her private stock too," Hermione pointed out.  "And there's a few other places in the school to find them, that is if whoever it is doesn't either have their own supply or is someone who isn't in the school, but can come and go so has had contact with Snape."  Sirius looked at them thoughtfully.

  "Well, I'm sure Snape and Craw are already putting the same clues together you are.  Still…if you guys can stay relatively discreet, I wouldn't necessarily object to you doing a little snooping to make sure it's not coming from a student.  As much faith as I have in Craw in this, you guys will probably have more luck finding things out if it does turn out to be a student."

  "I wonder if it's one of the other students in Snape's special class?"  Corey said thoughtfully.

  "Special class?  What special class?" Ron asked.

  "Snape runs a short dabbler's class for his "gifted" students during one of his conferences now.  That's how come he never hovers about during our Craw class like he used to last year," Hermione said.  "It's nearly all Slytherin students though, which is why I turned it down."

  "Well, I'm in it," Corey said.  "So maybe I can help out by checking things out there?"  Hermione's eyes went wide and she stared at him.

  "You're only a first year, and you're in his most advanced class?"  Hermione asked.

  "Snape knew I was getting bored.  His class was too easy," Corey shrugged.  "So when he offered, I took it."

  "That's fantastic, Corey, I'm sure that'll be a big help," Ginny said quickly as a silence threatened to settle in.  Hermione, Ron and Harry exchanged glances.  Surely it wasn't Corey.

  Corey couldn't wait to get back to school for lunch, making excuses so he could run ahead, literally sliding across the floor, stopping to whisper to Taylor at the Ravenclaw table before hopping into place by Doug.

  "So how bad was it?"  Corey asked.

  "The nerve of you to ask, considering it was your idea what got us in trouble in the first place," Doug grumbled.  "But really, it wasn't that bad.  Not like McGonagall the week before.  Mainly we had to clean the classroom, dust and whitewash the ceilings.  We got to use magic though, so it was actually sort of fun."

  "Wow.  You guys lucked out then.  You should have seen what I got stuck doing with Professor Sprout, pulling weeds, bloodying my fingers…" Corey started, hamming it up.

  "Oh, come on, Corey.  You like that class almost as much as Potions and you know it.  It wasn't as bad as you make it out to be."

  "Well, I think there must be detentions, and there are _detentions_," Corey explained, lowering his voice dramatically.  "I heard last time Harry and them went down the pipes, they ended up scrubbing all the stands and boxes in the Quidditch Pitch by hand.  Oh, and guess what… I got to spend the entire morning with them while you guys were in detention."

  "Yeah?  What'd you guys do?"

  "Nothing much, I just met Sirius Black," Corey grinned.

  "Awesome!  Did you ask him about what the ice cream was all about?"  Doug asked.  Corey slapped himself.

  "Aw, man, I was so busy having a good time I forgot all about that!  I'll ask him next time, I got a feeling I'm gonna see him again," Corey said, smiling mischievously.

  "You're up to something again, aren't you?  You better not get us in trouble again.  You know what Seamus said he'd do to us if we make Gryffindor lose any more points."

  "Bah, I'm not afraid of Seamus, I don't care how big he thinks he is.  Besides, I've got dirt on him and Susan now," Corey grinned.

  "So the Snooping Glass worked?" Doug grinned.

  "Yeah, but unfortunately Craw found out about it and I lost it all ready," Corey sighed.

  "You didn't get in trouble for it?"

  "Not yet, she was busy.  So if you see her or Snape coming, warn me so I can try to clear out until she forgets about it," Corey said.

  "She won't forget," Doug said, shaking his head.  "In fact, here she comes now."

  It was too late to hide, for Professor Craw; dressed rather stylishly in her riding dress and silk black ribbons, walked straight up to where Corey sat.

  "Wow, Professor, you look very stunning today, doesn't she Doug?"  Corey said quickly.  Doug nodded slowly, trying not to stare.  It had always been hard not to notice how pretty she was, but he wasn't about to go on about it like Corey did.

  "Thank you, Corey, but that's not going to work with me today.  I want to see you in my office right after you're done, and don't take all day about it.  Half an hour at the most," she said, then glided over to the Slytherin table.  Corey watched her as she said something to Amadeus, whose back was turned to him.  As she walked off, Corey was suddenly aware of another pair of eyes flicking up to look straight at him.  The seventh year student squinted at him and frowned in a way that would have caused many fellow students to clear out.  Instead, Corey took interest in his lunch, which had appeared before him.  Doug, however, felt a chill go up his back, and looked between them worriedly, leaning over to Corey.

  "Corey, this is really bad.  Did you see the look the Head Boy gave you?  You really had better watch your back." Doug whispered, extremely concerned.

  "Oh, pish, Doug, I'm not afraid of Draco Malfoy, let alone any Slytherin.  He's in my Dabbler Class.  I told you about that, remember?"

  "Yeah, and you haven't been the same since you started taking that class.  Whatever it is they're getting you to do, they're using you, Corey.  They're purists, they don't see Muggle born as anything but dirt," Doug told him.

  "Oh, Doug, you worry too much.  I've got more brains then all of them put together.  I can handle them.  Besides, I think before the games over, I'll have the Snitch on my side of the pitch," Corey grinned at him, glancing back towards the Slytherin table, where several of the students were now eyeing him with a disapproving look.

  When Professor Craw got them both there, she kept it short but anything but pleasant.  Amadeus had immediately denied knowing anything about the glass, and perhaps might have been able to pull it off had it been nearly any other teacher but Jennifer Craw.  But Craw was quick to point out that she didn't need a certificate to use her talent in school, and quickly deducted forty points from him and informed him there'd be a note about the item and the confiscation sent to his parents.  After that she released him so that she could speak a few minutes alone with Corey.

  "Corey, I want to talk to you a moment about your schoolwork," Craw sighed.  "Look, let me be frank here.  I know what you're capable of doing.  You're intelligent, you have perfect memory, and you're a Focus Caster.   Yet you seem to have plenty of time to get into trouble, and you never seem to get your homework done.  Even though you always ace your technical questions, you kill your marks on essays and no turn-ins.  What's the matter, Corey, don't you want to be a good wizard?"  Corey propped his head up in his hand and looked at her.

  "Professor, I nail every spell you teach me the first time around, don't I?" he asked.

  "Well, yes, but there's…"

  "And any time you test me on the material without essays, I get them all right, right?"

  "Corey, there's more to homework than just that.  For one thing, essays me to get a handle on how you see things, how well you understand what I'm saying, and helps me make decisions on how better to teach you…"

  "But, Professor, you can just look at people and tell what they're thinking, why can't you just use that to judge how I'm doing?"

   "Corey," Professor Craw sighed.  "For one thing, students have a lot of other things on their minds when they come in here, and besides, I like to take my time and evaluate everything.  Homework is also there to enforce some level of discipline that you're going to need later in life if you're ever going to succeed."

  "I don't think not turning in homework is going to keep me from being a good wizard," Corey decided.  "You said yourself, I pick up every spell as I read it…"

  "Corey, my class isn't about just learning spells.  It's more about learning when to use them and when not to use them and that's what I'm concerned is not getting through to you.  And discipline, obviously, is not getting through to you either.  If you don't shape up, I'm going to go to Professor McGonagall about taking away your activities and give you an enforced study time until you get caught up.  And I definitely will be writing your mother about this if it continues.  There really is no excuse for this."

  There was a gentle knock on the door and Professor Snape stuck his head in, frowning.

  "Are you still here?  You're going to be late," he told Craw, who immediately sighed and glanced at her watch and back at Corey.

  "All right, that's it for now, Corey, just try to do better, okay?" she said with exasperation, grabbing her cloak.

  "Yes, Professor Craw," Corey said, sighing as well, glumly heading out of the room as Snape made way for him to pass.

  Severus glanced over at Jennifer thoughtfully as she headed over towards the door.  It was more than obvious that the entire situation with Corey was bothering her to no end, more than any other student situation had ever bothered her in the past.

  "Do you want me to talk to him?" Severus asked carefully.  Jennifer shot him a sharp, annoyed glance then walked past him, heading down the hall.  "Jennifer?"  He shut the door to her office and caught up.

  "It's my class, it's my problem, okay?  I'll handle it," Jennifer said.  "I'll see you later.  I'll say hello to Dad for you."

  "You know, you don't have anything to prove, Jennifer, especially not to me.  It wouldn't kill you to accept an offer of help now and again.  Some students just don't respond well to some teachers," Severus said.

  Jennifer paused a moment, not looking back, then decided to continue without answering.  Severus stopped where he was and leaned on the wall, folding his arms, tapping his fingers in annoyance.  What was causing this growing communication problem they seemed to be having?  She was reluctant to talk to him and even more reluctant to listen.  Then again, he knew that she'd been under a lot of pressure lately, and perhaps this was actually a result of that.

  As he turned back down the hallway, he found his attention attracted by a small group of students down a side corridor made up mostly of Slytherin students.  Suddenly suspicious, he decided to wait at the corner.

  "It wasn't exactly as if I could do anything to hide it.  Of course I tried," Corey explained to the group.  "But you know how Craw is with that Truth Seeking thing.  Besides, she never asked what it was for.  She just started in on my class work, so no harm done."

  "What harm was done is for us to decide, not you, Willowby," Draco said, looking down at the younger boy with obvious distaste.  "I suggest you be a bit more cautious in the future.  I assure you, I won't be so forgiving the next time.  Crabbe, why don't you walk our mudder friend to the library?  Take the long way," he added.  Amadeus nudged Draco from the other side.

  "Incoming recreant," Amadeus warned them, and the group looked up to see Snape descending on them.

  "Good Afternoon," Snape said quietly.  "So nice to see all of my best students…getting along," he said, looking over at Draco with a questioning look on his face.  Not one of the Slytherins missed it.  Snape very much wanted to know what interest Draco would find in any kind in a Muggleborn, let alone Corey.

  "Professor Snape, could you help me get a book on advanced potions I need from the library?  Madame Pince said first years aren't allowed to check out the book I want but I need to look up some rare ingredients for the Dabbler's class," Corey asked quickly, taking a subtle step away from the rest of the group.

  "Very well.  I was heading that way anyway," Snape said expressionlessly, "but come along now, I don't have all day."

  "Yes sir!" Corey said cheerfully, moving up to the Professor's side, and waving to the other boys.  "I'll see you guys in class," he said.

  "Yes, if not before," Draco said, smiling coldly at him.  Snape nodded slightly to them as he walked Corey down the hall, looking thoughtfully at the relief that crossed Corey's face as they walked away.

  "So how are you doing in your other classes, Corey?" Snape asked suddenly, causing Corey to look up in surprise.

  "My other classes?"

  "Yes, considering how you're excelling in mine, I assume you're probably doing as well in your other studies," Snape said calmly.

  "Well, sort of," Corey said.

  "How about Professor Craw's class?  You're paying special attention to Defense, I'm sure.  At least, I hope you are."

  "You do?"

  "Yes, in some ways it's geared towards students that have a tendency of getting in way over their heads and not realizing it until it's too late," Snape said.  "Not that I know any one who would fit into that category.  Do you?"

  Corey shrugged innocently and shook his head with a grin, picking up his pace so that he could slip into the library door ahead of him.  Snape looked after him with a frown, adding Corey to his list of people to keep an eye on.


	20. Quidditch Showdown

Chapter Twenty

Quidditch Showdown

  Snow began to fall the fourth week of November, drifting lazily to the frosted ground and inspiring Jennifer with thoughts of Christmas and the upcoming festival.  Armed with ideas, Jennifer walked to the staff room, hoping to find a few faculty around spending the cold weekend day inside. 

  "Well hello, Jennifer!"  Rolanda said warmly as she came in.  "No security today?"

  "Nope, I have a day off," Jennifer explained.

  "Ah, I know how that is.  Earned one or two of those myself before.  So what have you been up to then all day?"

  "Making plans for the festival," Jennifer admitted, waving her notes.

  "You take the day off and spend it working on a school project?  Typical," Rolanda chuckled.

  "Well, this is fun sort of work," Jennifer said in defense, opening the closet door to look at the schedule hanging on the back of it.  "Who's broom?" she wondered out loud at the strangely large and vicious looking racing broom lying inside.  Rolanda peered inside then gave Jennifer an amused look.

  "That's not a broom.  That's a boggart."

  "Oh."  Jennifer shut the door, glancing at her watch before sitting down at the table.

  "I was starting to wonder if he was going to come back, he's been gone quite a long while.  Humphrey always did like this closet best," Rolanda chuckled.  "Well, he did until a few years ago."

  Jennifer poured herself some tea and found herself listening to an amusing story about when Remus brought a class in to learn about them, and Jennifer found herself chuckling uncontrollably when she got to the part about the boggart, who tried to change shape into the thing that the person looking at it feared the most, changing into Severus Snape and Neville imagining him in his grandmother's dress.

  "I wish I'd been here to see that," Rolanda said laughing.  "It's no wonder though he was gone for so long.  Remus was a good professor.  Wish he could have stayed."

  "It does sound like he was a good teacher," Jennifer smiled, nodding.  "But I'm going to be selfish and say I'm glad he didn't, because then I wouldn't have been able to be here."

  "Right you are, and you've been great for the school, no doubts there," Rolanda said, glancing over her notes.  "Besides, Remus never _really_ left, just changed positions is all.  But that's Dumbledore for you.  If a person belongs at the school, really and truly, he'll somehow make a way to make sure they have a way to stay here, no matter what happens.  I don't think most the staff would even be here if it wasn't for the Headmaster for one reason or another.  And yet everyone says Hogwarts is better than it's ever been."

  Jennifer smiled thoughtfully at that and couldn't help but to agree.  She had been so lucky to get on here, and even with the trials and tribulations she had gotten into over the three years, she'd never want to be anywhere else.

  "Jennifer, some of these ideas are great!  And yes, you're right about the Color Wheels, we definitely have to set up a booth for that.  You think you could get Severus to sit in the color tank?" Rolanda grinned mischievously.

  "I seriously doubt it," Jennifer laughed.  "But I will, at least.  Although I have a feeling Corey is going to come nail me like he does by asking smart alec questions in class."

  "Is he still at it in there too?  I heard he got sent to Poppy the other day and wanted to know if she was such a good healer then how come Harry, Minerva and Dumbledore wore glasses, and that even Muggles had eye surgery.  She was quite annoyed with him.  Hey, broom races, what a great idea!  Make it on Christmas day so anyone getting a new broom can use them.  Actually, how about we add a few other snow broom events too while we're at it?"

  Filius Flitwick wandered in and was quickly pounded with ideas from both of them, excitedly looking over her notes and bringing out his own ideas and his tentative events schedule so they could work them out.  Jennifer, who had had every intention of getting back up to her room before Severus got off patrol, completely lost track of the time as Filius brought out a map of the courtyard and they started to lay out their planned events.

  "I should have known," Severus said when he came in and saw her notes, looking annoyed.  "I thought you were supposed to be taking it easy today?  Weren't you going to stay in your room?"

  "Good grief, Severus, you're not even married yet.  It's kind of early to be trying to run her life all ready, isn't it?"  Rolanda said.  "Besides, since you're security, you might as well get over here and add some input in all of this."

  Sighing loudly in irritation, Severus went to throw his cloak in the closet, finding himself looking at his own image when he opened the door.  Quickly he closed it.  "By the way, Severus, Humphrey's back," Rolanda added, not even bothering to turn around.  "So how about Broom Skiing, Filius?"

  "We'll have to ask Poppy about that one, it might give her too much work to do," he winked.  "Besides, I'm hoping the rides I have planned will keep them occupied."

  Severus threw his cloak on the back of a chair as he moved to sit down, gazing across the table at Jennifer who was studying him thoughtfully, questioningly, oblivious to the other two who were in the middle of another brainstorm.  Severus looked away and tried to get interested in the plans, starting in about some of the more outrageous ideas on the table.

  That was when Minerva came in, looking exasperated.  The rest of the gazed curiously at her as she cracked the door of the closet open just long enough to grab the schedule before shutting it.

  "What's wrong, Minerva?" Jennifer asked as she sat down.

   "Oh, you know how upset Anna's been since Halloween, and after Hogsmeade decided to go home for awhile for that American holiday, right?" Minerva said.

  "Yes, we spoke of it, Dumbledore sent her back with Audi and Vallid," Severus said.  In fact, it was the only way that he would agree to letting her go.  Jennifer nodded to Minerva.

  "Well, Sirius didn't find out until after she left, and he's gone and gotten it into his head that she's bolting and not coming back and went after her," Minerva sighed.  Severus jumped up in surprise, his eyes flashing dangerously.  "Dumbledore tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen.  He took a Muggle plane out this morning.  Now the Dark Forest patrols aren't covered."

  "Men," Rolanda said, shaking her hand.

  "Anna has been pretty distraught lately," Jennifer admitted.  "But Dumbledore said not to worry about it and to just give her some time to work it out.  He's only going to end up making things worse.  She's been angry at him since that whole Animagus thing.  If he shows up there, it is _not_ going to be pretty."  Severus mused over that and sat back down.

  "Well, they're too far away for us to do anything now.  I'm sure Vallid will take over if it gets out of control," Minerva said, "but someone's going to have to pick up some more of these forest shifts."

  "I can pick up some evenings if need be, Minerva," Jennifer volunteered.

  "Oh, no you don't.  Absolutely not.  I don't want you out all night alone in that forest," Severus said.  Rolanda, Filius, and Minerva all stared at him.  "I'll pick up any extra patrols that need done."

  "So what you're saying is that you don't think I'm capable of handling a patrol?"  Jennifer asked standing up.

  "No, what I said was, I don't want you going out alone in the forest at night.  There are too many people who want you dead right now."

  "The same ones that want you dead, and yet you do it.  Look, Severus, I understand the whole bit with you wanting me to tell you what I'm up to, but I don't need your protection.  I'm more than capable of taking care of myself.  I am the Defense Professor in the school, or have you forgotten?"  Jennifer snapped angrily.

  "Professors, maybe we ought to move this discussion to my –" Minerva began.

  "This has nothing to do with that!"

  "Like constellations it doesn't, it has _always_ had something to do with that!"

  "Look, I know you're capable of taking care of yourself, but there's no reason to take unnecessary chances." Severus said calmly.

  "This isn't unnecessary, this is security!  And I'm just as capable of protecting this school as you are," Jennifer glared at him.

  "Yes, I just prefer you to do it from the grounds like the rest of the witches so you're not in as much risk."

  The entire room went silent.  Minerva, who had been working to physically coax them out of the room paused and squinted at him.  Rolanda who had been sitting at the table eating popcorn suddenly stopped and gaped at him, and Filius stared at him with wide eyes.

  "This is a bloody conspiracy," Jennifer said as Severus grew uncomfortable.  "So, put Minerva and Sinistra on castle security, Rolanda and Pomona and Sibyl on Gate, and me and Rolanda on games and grounds flight, all conveniently out of the way in case some 'real' emergency comes up, is that it?"

  "Jennifer, you really don't think it was intentional, do you?" Minerva said, but something in her voice made it sound to Jennifer as she had realized that for herself.  Jennifer glanced at Severus again and then towards Filius before looking over at Minerva.

  "It was intentional, and if I'm reading this right, it looks as if it were Severus' suggestion," Jennifer glared at him.

  "The security patrols were set up the summer before you came here, Jennifer," Minerva pointed out.

  "So it's not aimed at me personally, but I'm taking it personally!  I am capable of doing anything you can do, Severus Snape, and I can best you at most of it.  If I want to take a forest patrol, it's my decision and not yours."

  "You are acting childish, Jennifer.  If you think I'll let you go off on a patrol unguarded, you are quite wrong."

  "I challenge you to a grudge match then…a sparring match, and if I win, you get off my back and let me decide what I can handle on my own.  I'm tired of you overprotecting me!"  Severus squinted at her, gritting his teeth.

  "Fine.  But if you're the one challenging, I should be the one to pick the contest," he said.

  "Fine," she glared at him, folding her arms.

  "Then I pick Quidditch," he smirked triumphantly then turned to walk out of the room.  Jennifer stared after him in complete fury.  He only picked it because she expected her not to accept.

  "Fine, you're on!" she snapped just before he reached the door.  He turned around and stared at her.

  "Oh come, now, you can't be serious.  You can't even stay on your automatic when it's hovering," he said.

  "A team of witches of my choosing, faculty and students, against one of your choosing.  We can make it a pre-holiday event," Jennifer said.

  "Minerva, would you please talk some sense into her and tell her the school wouldn't support such an event?  Say something?" Severus said, rolling his eyes.

  "Whether or not the school would support it in this case, I think, I'll leave to Dumbledore," she said calmly.  "But if he does say yes, count me in," Minerva smiled slightly.

  "Oh, I'm definitely in," Rolanda agreed, grabbing another handful of popcorn looking totally amused.  Severus shook his head in disbelief and annoyance.

  "Fine.  Have it your way.  The game will be over before you even have time to blink," he said, storming out.

  After politely refusing an offer by Severus to join the team, Dumbledore offered to referee, to which both teams had quickly agreed to.  Once it was obvious the 'fiasco' was going to take place, Severus wasted little time in getting a team together.  He went straight to Harry Potter first and foremost, and there were bets on the witches' side whether or not he'd even be willing to play.  But Jennifer lost that battle, for Harry agreed to play if Ron did, and Jennifer in turn moved and recruited Ginny and Hermione.

  The day of the match was cold and clear, but not too windy. Jennifer looked nervously over her team.  Minerva and Rolanda had quickly taken over to assign everyone to positions and come up with a strategy.  Jennifer was assigned as Keeper, (to keep her from having to fly around as much as possible,) Rolanda and Hermione Beaters, Ginny Weasley as Seeker, and Minerva, Julie Brim, and Susan Bones were the Chasers.  Jennifer's heart sank when she saw the other team, however, and looked nervously across at the Slytherin Gate where Severus' team was.  Severus, taking on a Beater position, picked Corey as the other (which actually surprised Jennifer a bit, considering Amadeus was the best Beater they'd had in a while) Harry as Seeker, Draco Malfoy as Keeper, and Filius, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Ron Weasley as Chasers.

  "Harry, Justin, and Draco?  We are in so much trouble," Jennifer muttered, shaking her head.

  "Craw, get back over here," Rolanda said, waving her over.  "All right, Professor Craw, if they go for a different ring than you're guarding and you don't think you can push it, don't.  Just let it through, and do the best you can.  Our strength is in our Chasers and Beaters, so we need to play that to our advantage.  We Beaters will be working on slowing down Harry and Justin since they're our worst threats out there, as well as protecting our own Seeker, of course.  But most importantly, we're going out there to have fun, right?" Rolanda said, and met silence.  "Okay, maybe not just fun, be we should have fun too," she chuckled.  "Mount up all!  Jennifer, don't bother doing the circle with the rest of us you just go to the rings, okay?" 

  Jennifer sighed softly but nodded, seeing the sense in that.  She was slightly annoyed with Severus still for even picking this game, something he knew she was terrible at. 

  Now she was going to have to rely on her team to prove her point.  As they sped out, a crowd of students cheered them on, accompanied by calls of "Go, Witches!" and "Go, Wizards!"  Jennifer grinned nervously and waved, coming to stop by the rings, almost wishing it were all over all ready.    From there, she could see the teams assembling the circle waiting for the balls, and watched Dumbledore, looking almost comical in referee robes with goggles on his head, walked onto the field.   Up into the air the Snitch and Bludgers flew, and a moment later the Quaffle followed.  Justin in perfect form swept up and grabbed it just a split second before Susan, and before Jennifer knew it both teams were heading for her.  Flailing frantically as the Quaffle came towards her, Jennifer somehow managed to bat it away.  Ron quickly caught it, throwing it in the lower ring.

  "You're going to have to get that broom moving faster than that, Professor Craw," Filius teased her as he sped past.  Minerva had quickly retrieved the ball on the other side of the ring and launched herself at an alarming speed towards the other rings.  Justin was hot on her tail, but at the last minute Minerva turned upside down on her broom and dove towards the ground, spinning back around and shooting up towards the top ring before Malfoy had even a chance to respond.  Jennifer tried to clap and nearly fell off the broom, then decided she'd better be a bit more worried about the teams soaring to her side of the pitch.

.  But as Jennifer prepared to cover the other rings, a Bludger peeled into the players and hit Justin, causing him to almost fumble the ball.  He tossed it towards Filius but Julie got between them, grabbing it and diving quickly up and around heading it back up the Pitch.  Jennifer relaxed, watching with a grin.  If this kept going, they would have it in the bag for sure.

  On the other side of the pitch, Severus was far from happy.  Minerva was proving to be nearly as fast as Justin on a broom, and her experienced maneuvers were giving them a definite advantage, not to mention Rolanda's perfect aim with the Bludger bat.  Flying closer to Corey, Severus got his attention.

  "See if you can't trip up McGonagall," he told him and headed back into the fray just as Malfoy saved the Quaffle and threw it towards Justin.  Susan intercepted, saying something to Justin as she did and came back around.  She feinted throwing the ball through the third loop, and as Draco moved to get it she handed it to Minerva who sped it into the ring below them before he could react.  As she came around, however, she suddenly found herself bolted with a Bludger and had to dodge, and as she flipped around someone came up beside her and the ball was whisked out of her hands.  Filius then quickly transferred it to Justin and took a slight breather as Justin headed back across, followed by McGonagall, veering away from yet another Bludger.  Hooch hadn't missed the onslaught on her star Chaser, however, and decided to get right up beside her, waiting for the next Bludger to fall.  But as they neared the rings, the Bludgers were nowhere in sight.  Justin flew up to the higher ring and threw it in, Minerva quickly collecting it and throwing it to Julie and headed back over to the other side of the field.  Just then, the Bludger appeared again halfway across and Corey smacked it towards McGonagall.  Hermione, on the other side of McGonagall, slapped it towards Justin.

  "Hermione," Rolanda hovered over to her while still keeping watch on the others as Minerva spun down to throw the Quaffle in the lower ring just out of reach of Draco's hand, "Is it just me, are those two keeping the Bludgers out of their side of the court?"

  "No, I think you're right.  What do you suppose they're up to?"

  "I got a hunch, follow my lead," Rolanda told her and headed back in just as Ron headed up the Pitch with the Quaffle.  Aiming a bit higher than normal, Rolanda caught up with one of the Bludgers and whizzed it over Ron's head as he headed towards the ring, just as Jennifer was moving to protect the center goal.  Severus, arriving a split second before Corey, met the Bludger and slammed it back in the other direction towards no one in particular, and Corey picked up the second before it reached the ring as well, shying it at Susan who was coming in from the rear.

  Rolanda veered to grab the one that Corey had hit, slamming it back at Jennifer, who had just turned to watch as Ron dove and made the bottom goal.  She turned just in time to see Severus come up next to her and bat it away just as Minerva zoomed past with the Quaffle in hand.

  "So, someone's afraid Jennifer won't be able to dodge a Bludger, is he?  Well, then it should be easy enough to keep them occupied."  Rolanda zoomed over to Hermione as they crossed the center of the Pitch and said something to her.  Grinning, the two of them split back up.

  Jennifer couldn't believe how good they were doing so far.  The score was 120-30 Witches, and strangely enough there was no sign of the Snitch yet.  Harry and Ginny were still hovering above, looking, while still paying close attention to the game, and Minerva was proving to be a formidable foe on against the rings.

  Draco, although a decent Seeker, was not proving to be much of a Keeper (not that Jennifer was much better, but she had two good stops at least), and Justin had been facing a steady onslaught of Bludgers since the game began and had taken a couple hits.   But even Jennifer wasn't completely blind to the fact something odd was happening on the Wizard's Beater team, for even though they had taken several shots at Minerva, Susan and Julie, they seemed to be having trouble keeping the Bludgers up.  Rolanda, on the other hand, was sparing no wood to smack them back as hard as she could.  Jennifer heard a round of applause as Minerva threw the ball to Susan near the bottom ring and she threw it in.  Jennifer giggled.  If the boys didn't pick up some points soon, they were going to have one of the worst defeats in history.  A few more goals like that and even Harry wouldn't be able to help them.

  Harry, hovering near the center of the pitch, was shaking his head and thinking the same thing.  Filius passed below him with the ball, throwing it easily to Ron who sped forward towards the top ring.   Rolanda and Hermione, crossing paths from just trying to pelt Justin with the Bludgers again smacked them back up, then before Corey or Severus could react, smacking them hard towards the rings.  Fortunately, their aim seemed to be way off, passing underneath Ron, and suddenly Harry realized they were heading straight for Jennifer, who hovering just between the middle and upper ring.  Corey zoomed towards them batting one out of the way and towards the incoming Chasers, while Severus hit the other one at Hooch.

  "What in blazes do you think you're doing, Hooch, have you gone blind all the sudden?" he yelled at her.  Jennifer had little time to watch, soaring up just as Ron made the throw and smacking it down as it left its hands.  Using her diving instincts she normally used as a Seeker, Julie made a tailspin dive to grab the Quaffle before it reached the ground.

  "I could ask you the same thing, Snape!  Whose team are you on, anyhow?"  Hooch laughed at him as she batted the Bludger at Filius who in turn was trying to make a move to intercept Julie's throw to Minerva.  But just before Severus could veer off and head down the pitch, the other Bludger suddenly came back towards the rings rings, and Severus paused to smack it back towards the Chasers. 

   Jennifer suddenly found herself the center of activity again as Justin soared back with the ball, and she leaned slightly on her broom, watching to see which way he would go.  That's when she noticed two Bludgers coming barreling down on her and she forced her broom upwards, barely getting out of the way of one as Corey smacked the other at Susan.  Jennifer cursed softly to herself as Justin veered towards the bottom ring and struggled to get her broom to cooperate, determined for them not to lose any points on their lead.  She barely got there in time, but fortunately Minerva was right there, so as Jennifer reached out and blocked the ball with her leg, the other professor caught it and headed the other way before anyone could react.   Severus got behind the stray Bludger, smacking it over to Corey who was clear of Jennifer so he could smack it towards Minerva.  The Bludger cracked into Minerva's broom causing her to lose control a moment, but she heard Susan ahead of her and passed the Quaffle along.  She paused to check the damage, hissing softly as she noticed the thin crack that had developed in the handle.   She was going to have to slow down now, she thought to herself, gazing up the field just as Susan made the next goal.

  Hooch was having more fun than she had in a long time as she batted the Bludgers towards Jennifer again, laughing as she heard the bell and realized the score was 180-30.  They probably should have chosen alternates, Hooch mused, because there was no way Harry would be willing to catch the Snitch now.  One more goal and the girls would have it in the bag no matter who caught it, and the humiliating defeat was something Hooch couldn't wait to taunt Severus mercilessly about.  Just then, she saw something from the corner of her eye and turned her head at the beating of wings, and Harry and Ginny shot passed her on either side as they dove towards the Snitch.  It was just as Jennifer finished another precarious stop, and Minerva again had the ball.  Corey, realizing the importance of the next point zoomed forward to catch one of the Bludgers and knock it towards Minerva, looking around frantically.  Rolanda grinned and met it, hitting it back towards Jennifer.

  "Snape, you blasted idiot!  Stop fooling around with your girlfriend and get Ginny before she catches the Snitch or we've had it!"  Corey shouted angrily.

  The group of students in the stands that were close enough to hear him gasped in surprise at his tone, wondering how many house points he just lost for that one.  But Severus, it seemed, stared at him a moment and then looked around just as Harry and Ginny passed around Jennifer in a circle as they followed the golden Snitch neck and neck.   Bludgers flew past, and Jennifer, slightly distracted by Harry and Ginny, suddenly found herself a target again, forcing her broom to leap up to avoid one then rolling over upside down to avoid the other, awkwardly clinging onto the broom, which was fighting her to get her upright.  But from there she saw Ginny and Harry again skimming close to the ground, and heard the sound of a bat cracking behind her as a Bludger headed back towards her and them.  Yelping in surprise, Jennifer spun back upright and out of the way as the Bludger zoomed past, followed closely by Severus, who past beneath her as he headed back up the pitch.  Jennifer, finally able to look back up the pitch, was then aware that something else must have occurred near the other rings, for as they came flying towards her, Minerva stayed behind, her broom acting as if it were having trouble just hovering at the same height.   That meant their best Chaser was down, she thought, and now Justin was barreling towards her at breakneck speed.

  Ginny barely dodged the two Bludgers that whizzed past her head, trying to desperately keep up with Harry.  It was right before them now, and as they passed the center of the field they were vaguely aware of the team going in the opposite direction towards the wizard's net, and Minerva above them, clapping and calling her name.  That was when she realized she had to get it now.  Another moment more the boys would probably win, and she was sure Harry knew that as well.  That was why she was completely surprised when she saw Harry lean further forward on his broom, pushing it to its limits to get that extra centimeter he needed to clasp his hand around the Snitch.

  Jennifer forced her broom into a full climb as she struggled to reach the upper ring, knowing there was no way she was going to reach it in time.  With one last push, the spent automatic broom reached its upper speed limit as she made a desperate scramble at the Quaffle that passed way over her head and into the ring just as she heard a loud whistle blow.  Jennifer and the rest of the Witch team suddenly froze in fear, wondering if in that last second victory had been stolen away from them.  After an entire game of dominating the pitch, were they going to lose it because Jennifer couldn't get there on time?  Jennifer's heart sunk at that realization, peering with the rest of the team up the pitch to where Dumbledore was, hearing from the speakers that Harry had caught the Snitch.  But Dumbledore held up a hand, getting everyone's attention, magnifying his voice so that everyone could hear him.

  "The Snitch was caught by Harry Potter a half a second before the Quaffle passed through the last goal, therefore it can not be counted.  The official score is 180-180, the first tie on these Quidditch grounds in nearly 200 years!   I declare both teams the winner!" Dumbledore shouted, as a roar went up on the crowd.  Relief and elation spread through the teams and Jennifer found herself hugging Justin Finch-Fletchley mid-air before they soared down to meet the others near where Harry and Ginny were.  She soon found herself in the middle of hugging and handshaking chaos of students and teachers and a proud looking referee, who was chuckling to himself and congratulating them.  Jennifer glanced at Minerva who gave her a nod and a smile, then went over to Severus, who was standing just outside the group, and hugged him warmly.

  "Great game, although I have to admit, it would have been nice if you'd been able to pay attention to the Chasers at that point, Harry, we would have had them, you know," Ron said when things began to calm down.

  "I know, Ron, I saw it," Harry admitted.  "But after the trouncing we got, we didn't exactly deserve to win.  Besides, this game wasn't about who was better but if everyone was just as capable, and I think they proved their point."

  "Sorry about your broom, Professor McGonagall," Corey said meekly.

  "Oh, it's all right.  It's all apart of the game, and I was due for a new one anyhow," she said, smiling softly at him.  "And I admit that was definitely the most fun I've had in ages.  What say we all go in the staff room and celebrate, hm?"

  "A splendid idea," Dumbledore chuckled.  The excited students fell into step behind Minerva, Rolanda and Filius, and Dumbledore matched step with Jennifer and Severus, who were bringing up the rear.  "So, did either of you actually learn anything out of this?" he asked, smiling at them knowingly.

  "I guess I learned that I don't have to do everything," Jennifer said.  "I wouldn't have stood a chance out there without the great team I had.  Working together helped offset my weaknesses and pulled together everyone's strengths."

  "I learned Rolanda is a ruthless Beater," Severus muttered.

  "And?" Dumbledore prompted.

  "And I can't protect Jennifer all the time and do by job.  Can we drop this now?"  Severus scowled.

  "Now you have me feeling like a student again," Jennifer said, shaking her head at Dumbledore.   "When do you stop teaching?"

  "When you both start realizing you are teaching yourselves," Dumbledore said calmly, stepping inside.


	21. A Festival at Hogwarts

Chapter Twenty-One

A Festival at Hogwarts

Time flew by for Jennifer as the festival neared, absorbed in preparing student tests, getting with the merchants, and looking over the newspaper, while still managing to save a couple hours on Fridays to help Minerva on the bridesmaid gowns as well as help make a dress for Christmas. Minerva had been positively flustered when Jennifer had asked her to be the witch of honor, having thought that it would have been more likely for Jennifer to have chosen Anna or even Rolanda. But Jennifer had always found it easy to go to Minerva especially when it concerned Severus, knowing that she would always get solid advice about things from Minerva whether it was personal or professional. And Minerva in turn had taken Jennifer under her wing from the very beginning, encouraging her head-on attitude while also helping to bring out the logical reasoning that always seemed to anchor Jennifer's nature. Minerva accepted, immediately offering to do the bridesmaid gowns, and they had gotten straight to work as if there were no time to lose. Jennifer couldn't figure out why Minerva wanted them done now so badly, but Minerva would just tell her that it gave her something relaxing to do and kept on measuring and marking.

It didn't seem long before Christmas was upon them, and Jennifer found herself gently chiding the students to look at their test papers and not out the window as tents, booths, and pavilions began to appear on the last afternoon of classes.

Unexpectedly Severus appeared in the doorway, looking far from happy. Jennifer quietly slipped outside the door, staying slightly to one side and keeping an eye on her class.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a low voice.

"Someone is setting up a tent for Francis Pyther, and I know he wasn't on the merchant list. Does anyone realize how dangerous that is?" Severus asked with irritation. Jennifer gazed at Severus understandingly.

"Actually, Dumbledore invited him to come and do a few portrait sittings, and Rosmerta knows about it. I guess I should have warned you…"

"Warned me? You should have stopped it! In fact, I have every intention of throwing him out the moment he arrives," he snapped as Jennifer tried to get him to keep his voice down.

"You'd better talk to Dumbledore first before you try it. He's his guest," Jennifer emphasized again. "And he trusts him. You know he's done many paintings for this school in the last five hundred…"

"From outside of the school property, where he can't make the entire school a banquet," Severus hissed.

"Look, you know I…one second," Jennifer stopped after noticing a few curious eyes and threatened the students to keep their eyes on their papers or lose them. Ratfly flew in the window and sat on the desk, disgruntled about playing babysitter. Jennifer and Severus took a few more steps back.

"I know how strongly you feel about this, Severus, and I don't blame you. At the same time, I'm sure that Dumbledore would never, ever have invited him if he thought for one moment he would endanger anyone. You know that," Jennifer said, looking in his eyes. He was still frowning doubtfully at her. "However, if you want to try and talk Dumbledore into reconsidering, I will back you up. It's not worth having you worried about it all week."

Severus sighed, extremely unhappy but knowing it'd be next to pointless to try and talk Dumbledore out of something like this, even with the both of them ganging up. He did have every intention of letting him know he wasn't happy about it, however.

"Do not let him anywhere near you…" Severus warned.

"Severus, I have to do my job, you know," Jennifer reminded him, but saw the look on his face. "All right, all right, I promise I won't go anywhere near him unless another staff member is with me. As if I couldn't handle one of his sort on my own," Jennifer snorted slightly. Before Severus could say anything, Ratfly began to screech in alarm and Jennifer was forced to attend her class as one of the students had tried peering out the door again.

Jennifer took dinner in her classroom, hoping to get a jump on her marking the last of the papers so she could go ahead and post them. Severus had gone to the Great Hall to go over some of the rules that would be in place during the holiday and to hand out schedules. Minerva came in just after dinner, handing her a list of the students who had gotten special permission to go home over the holidays. There weren't very many; in fact, the list had gotten shorter and shorter as the festival approached and students talked parents into letting them stay.

"Looks like we're all set," Minerva smiled, excited in spite of herself. "And I must say, it looks fantastic out there. You should go wander through the courtyard yourself before you turn in. The students are positively livid we're not letting them outside yet, but I'm sure you'll notice the windows are full of heads when you go out there," she added with amusement. "Were you able to get an appointment with Mr. Pyther?"

"Yes, I have his second appointment on the 23rd. But Minerva, Severus wasn't very happy when he found out Pyther was coming. I'm really not sure this a good idea."

"Wasn't it Dumbledore's idea?" Minerva asked.

"I know, I know, if it was Dumbledore's idea you expect it was good enough. Severus did make me promise I wouldn't go anywhere near him without an escort though," Jennifer said.

"Now, that won't be a problem. I happen to know that Dumbledore has the first appointment on the 23rd, and he already expressed interest in staying for yours if it happened to be on the same day. I will make sure Severus is too busy to go looking for you while you have your painting done. I'm sure when you give it to him on Christmas he'll be pleased enough," Minerva reassured her.

"Well, we'll see," Jennifer said, going over to the door to post the marks. "There! All done, let the games begin," she chuckled.

* * *

Corey, who at that moment was rushing up the back stairs, couldn't have agreed more had he been there, although the games he had in mind would not have been of the sort that Professor Craw would have approved of. He tried to pace himself to keep from clinking, his robes filled with precious cargo as he dove down an abandoned corridor where a pack of students waited, frowning at him as he walked in.

"About time. I almost sent someone after you," Draco said, looking down at him suspiciously. "So? Did you get it?" Corey nodded quickly, catching his breath. "Did anyone see you?"

"No, of course not," Corey said, looking in his robe. He had carefully sectioned the phials before he had gotten there, and just as carefully picked the phials out handing one to each of them, saving Draco's for last. "There you are, every last one." Draco looked at his phial thoughtfully for a moment, then back at Corey. "Don't worry, it'll work."

"Just to be safe, why don't you take the first one, Corey? After all, this is to test your trustworthiness. You shouldn't have any trouble taking your own potion. Here, you can have mine," Draco suggested, handing it back and watching him carefully.

"All right," Corey said, calmly unstoppering the phial and drinking the entire thing. He felt a tingle and looked down at his hands, and suddenly his hands faded out of view, followed by the rest of him, his robe looking as if it was walking around by itself. "Wow, works good, doesn't it?" Corey said, taking out another phial that floated over to Draco. Draco took it and put it away, and Corey worked on getting undressed, casting a protection against cold on himself as he kicked off the rest of his clothes. "See? Works perfect. The book says it lasts for six hours, so you'll have plenty of time to do whatever you want," he said cheerfully.

"Well done, Willowby. We'll see you in a few hours then," Draco nodded to the others, and they began to file out of the room. "And don't do anything foolish that would try and give yourself away. We won't cover for you if you get caught."

Corey waited a few moments, looking around for somewhere to hide his belongings before stuffing them on top of a wardrobe and ran towards the Great Hall. Before he got too far he ran into Taylor and Doug, who were talking quietly among each other.

"Sssh watch what you say, don't forget there might be others around," Corey said, making them leap up in surprise. "Here, I got your sleeve, Taylor, come on," he said, and carefully dragged them back out of sight. Taylor and Doug saw a lump of clothes fly down, and two phials came out of it, hovering in front of them "Well, don't just stand there, take it and put in your robe for now. Then go back to our room and drink it. Hurry, before everyone gets out of dinner."

"Can't we go to dinner first?" Doug asked.

"Do I look like I'm in any position to go to dinner? Malfoy made me take one of the potions."

"Which one?" Taylor asked.

"Sssh! Enough questions already, let's just do it so we can go take a look. I didn't go to all this trouble to miss the fun!" Corey said. The other two boys quickly headed up to the dorms, and Corey easily slipped past the Fat Lady with the other two. In no time the other two boys had also taken the potions and stripped down as Corey cast the spell on them so that they wouldn't feel the cold.

"Don't forget to get back here by midnight," Corey whispered. "It'll wear off shortly after that."

"What about bed check?" Doug whispered back.

"Well, if you guys insist you can always come back early, but I'm not going to leave until I see if my plan works," Corey said. "Let's wait until someone leaves and follow them out." The three of them slipped downstairs and waited impatiently by the door. Finally it opened as Ginny and Harry came in, followed by Ron and Hermione.

"Just be careful, Harry, don't get caught. You know Snape's going to be patrolling the courtyard tonight, and he'd be sure to come down on you if he finds out."

"Don't worry, just a quick run around the grounds and I'll be right back up here before anyone misses me," Harry promised. Quickly the three younger students held their breaths and slipped past them, heading down the stairs.

"See? We're not the only ones," Corey whispered, hoping the other two were close enough to hear.

"Let's just hope we aren't the ones who get caught," Doug whispered back.

It wasn't long before they stepped out into the snow, looking around in amazement at the transformation. From the center fountain to the gate, colorful tents and pavilions were laid out along the path, most of them covered up for the night, the canvas glowing from lanterns inside as the merchants prepared for the day ahead. To the left of the gate the space between the outer and inner walls was filled with rides like a large toboggan slide and a fun house. To the right was set up tables and a large eating area, covered by a canopy that spanned the outer walls, providing shelter from the snow. Game booths were spread out all over, while outside the gate a carefully laid path walled with arches of ice blocks lead all the way around to the Quidditch Pitch. Corey wasn't quite sure where to look first, everything looked interesting. His nose however reminded him how hungry he was, and he followed the smell of food to its source.

An open pavilion to one side of the canopy was set up with tables inside and strangely enough, an ornate wooden bar as well, keenly polished as if ready for the onslaught of drinks that would be served the next day. It was intricately carved with a pattern of roses and thorns, and in the center of the bar was carved three brooms with the handles crossed. Corey, who'd never gone to Hogsmeade, would never have made the connection, nor had ever met Rosmerta who was busy situating the tables on a floor of cut ice tiles. She turned suddenly, looking thoughtfully at the ground just beyond her pavilion for a moment, then headed back over to her bar, rummaging behind it. She came out with a tray of steaming meat-stuffed rolls as casually as if she were expecting company, setting it down at the end table just inside the pavilion.

"Just a word of wisdom to drift into the open air," she said, hiding a smile. "An empty stomach is a noisy stomach." She made herself busy behind the bar, pretending not to notice as Corey hastily stuffed one of the rolls in his mouth, trying not burn himself in the process. Rosmerta decided to leave the plate there for a bit, just in case she had more visitors.

Feeling better for having eaten and much more willing to explore, Corey began poking about, looking curiously in tents. As he was running towards the rides, he bumped into something hard and fell back into the snow with an oof sitting up quickly.

"Who's there?" Corey whispered cautiously.

"Taylor," said the other boy. "Is that you, Corey? I think Malfoy and his gang are on the slide. Look, see the toboggans go down?"

"Good, I'd rather know where they are. Boy, are they going to be mad," Corey said, standing up and finding the other boy's arm. "Have you eaten? There's some food out for us."

"What do you mean food out for us?"

"A lady in the bar pavilion put out a plate of meat rolls. Real good stuff! Come on, I'll show you," he whispered, dragging him over there. The woman had sat down with a steaming drink, setting down another mug across from her. Suddenly they saw a hand reach out and grab the drink, and it disappeared.

"I don't think you should be so concerned about it. If it's meant to work out, it'll work out. And if it doesn't, trust me, he'll get over it. Good grief, Harry, the man survived over ten years in Azkaban, he'll bounce back," she assured the space in front of her.

"I've never seen him this bad before, though. I don't get it. I mean, he seemed glad that she came back, and yet now he's avoiding her like the plague, and then he sulks about it," the voice of Harry said.

"Yep, sounds like love to me," Rosmerta smirked. She then turned to look at the far table as two more meat rolls suddenly floated up and disappeared. She turned back to the table in front of her, propping her head in her hand. "I really need to have a talk with Albus about his security."

Corey and Taylor then snuck back over to the games, hushing each other loudly as Corey got one of the booths open so they could slip in.

"Wow, is this a dunk tank?" Corey asked. Five strange colored wheels hung below a large glass tank, very much like something Corey had seen before in the Muggle world.

"No, I should think not in this weather," Taylor chuckled. "That's the Color Wheel game. Someone gets up on the ledge, and the person playing has to hit all five wheels, and then whoever is up there gets dyed with magic colors that don't wear off for hours."

"Awesome! I should rule at this game," Corey said.

"Shh, I hear someone," Taylor said suddenly. The flap suddenly rose up and lowered again.

"Is anybody in here?" Doug whispered.

"Hi Doug, come check this out!" Corey said.

"No, no, we have to clear out. Snape's out on the prowl now, and I'm telling you, it looks like he knows something's up. We have to get out of here," Doug said. Corey suddenly got a hand in his face.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Sorry, Corey, but I'm serious, let's get out of here. Malfoy and Amadeus just took off on the Soarer Coaster, and if he sees the car gone I'm sure he won't miss it."

"Soarer coaster? I didn't see any coaster. Is that like a roller coaster?" Corey asked.

"Don't even think about it, Corey, we'd definitely be caught then," Taylor warned him. "Doug's right, we'd probably better get out of here."

"You two go ahead, I don't want you in trouble," Corey whispered.

"What about you? I don't think McGonagall will be too happy if you end up in her office again," Doug whispered.

"No. I'm not leaving until the bomb breaks. Don't worry, it shouldn't be long now, you guys go ahead," Corey insisted.

"Come on, Doug, I'm not taking chances with Snape out here," Taylor said. The flap moved up, and Corey was somewhat relieved that he was alone again. He slipped out a moment later, trying to tie the flap shut. It was as he was moving towards the rides that he saw Severus Snape approach, staring thoughtfully at the booth that Corey had just come from. Snape was just about to head for the rides when he heard his name called, and looked around to see Jennifer walking over to him. Corey ran over towards the slide.

"Wow, look at all of this, I can't believe all these rides Filius put together! He must be over there because I think I saw the Soarer go up," Jennifer commented.

"Oh really?" Severus said. He squinted at where a long car shaped like a dragon sat on a short rail. The rail curved nearly straight up in front of the coaster, then ended, only needed to hold the coaster in place. Magic propelled the rest. "You haven't been over there at all?"

"No, not yet. Not that anybody's getting me on _that_ thing."

"Definitely not," Severus agreed. "Jennifer, have you seen…or rather, have you not seen Potter down here?" Jennifer looked over at him thoughtfully.

"No, not at all. Why, do you think he is snooping around?"

"Well someone is. My chain keeps getting hot, and there are a ton of footprints around with no owners. Come on," Severus said, heading past the carousel. The carousel animals glanced over at them sleepily but seemed otherwise undisturbed, and the fun house was locked up tight. It was then that they headed over to the slide.

The timing, in Corey's opinion, could not have been more perfect. An hour had just lapsed from the time the Slytherins had taken their potions, and Corey, standing out of the way beside the slide, watched in silent delight as his carefully dabbled potion suddenly wore off. Luckily, Corey had had the feeling that Malfoy was going to make him drink one, and had switched one of his good ones to give to him at the last moment, making sure that Draco got one of the weaker ones the second time around. So just as Snape and Craw arrived to notice several toboggans seemingly sliding themselves down the hill, Crabbe and Amadeus suddenly appeared upon them, reaching the bottom in total nude splendor. Corey bit his hand to keep from laughing as Jennifer yelped out in surprise and Snape blinked, and then glanced around to see Malfoy dive for cover at the top of the slide. Bowyer and Casper dove into the snow to hide their naked forms from where they stood near the coaster. Craw suddenly took out her wand and started dropping robes on their heads as Snape barked at all of them to come down.

"You should have let them walk in like that. Perhaps they would have learned something," Severus growled, screaming at Casper to move faster.

"No thanks, I could do without the free show," Craw said, her voice tinged with annoyance. "All right, who wants to be the one to explain all this?" she demanded. Snape was looking around suspiciously.

"Watch these, I'm going to see if there are any more to gather," he said, tapping his neck. She nodded to him and concentrated on the ones she had, looking directly at Malfoy as all the other boys had turned to him. Malfoy, she noted, was livid with anger. She also noted it was directed at Corey.

Seeing the look on Snape's face, Corey began to get nervous. Surely he wouldn't suspect he was in on this. Especially since Snape knew his potions didn't wear off…well, unintentionally. But as Malfoy started into a distorted version of the truth as how Corey was the one who had suggested the trip and that if they looked he was sure he'd not be in his bed, Corey began to get nervous. He was going to have to beat the professors there, he knew. Backing up a few steps, Corey made a dash across the courtyard and towards the door. But unfortunately for Corey, he had forgotten a detail that Snape had noticed earlier, and as Snape watched the staggered footprints appear in the snow towards the door, Snape quickly cut him off and beat him to the chase. Corey crashed into him, falling back in the snow with a groan. Snape didn't move, nor did his expression change noticeably as Corey watched him warily, waiting for him to blow. Instead, Snape just stood there and ground his teeth thoughtfully for a moment, looking off into the distance.

"I am only going to say this once," Snape said in a cold, low, dangerous tone. "If a certain first-year Gryffindor isn't at my office door when I get there in five minutes, he'll not see the outside of his room except for classes until the end of the school year. And that includes during Christmas." He then pulled his cloak around him and took a couple cautious steps out of the doorway. Corey knew better than to disobey, and knew better than to think for one instant that he was exaggerating. He also knew, as he headed inside, that this wasn't going to be good.

* * *

Jennifer was one of the first professors to arrive when the festival opened, feeling nearly as excited as the students as she watched the booths uncovered and merchants open just after breakfast. In fact, she immediately went over to the color wheel booth to chat with the brightly clothed barker Elf, volunteering to take the first turn up on the perch.

"Come one and all to the Color Wheel! Hit five targets, color the victim and get a prize! Choose your own colors, five knuts for one color and five balls! Five knuts for any additional colors or for two extra balls!" the barker told them as a few students wandered near. Jennifer had a great view of the festival and the people passing, and pretty soon she began calling out to the students, coaxing them with names and taunts to come over, to the point that the barker didn't have to do anything but explain rules and take the money.

"Come on Julie, you can throw better than that! Jack, are you just going to stand there, or do you have a bone to pick with me too?" Jennifer grinned, enjoying having a chance to pick on them without any of them taking offense.

"Well, I have a bone to pick with you, Professor," Seamus said, stepping up with a grin, paying for extra colors as the elf handed them over.

"Show these kids what you got, Prefect," Jennifer laughed down at him. "And what bone do you have to pick with me, anyhow?"

"Going and getting yourself engaged to someone like Severus Snape instead of waiting a few years for me," he said in a clear and indignant tone. Jennifer and the rest of the students laughed, and watched as he hit the first target, and then the second, but missed the third. "Rats, I knew I should have gotten more balls instead of extra colors."

"Tough luck, Seamus, good thing you did better than two out of five on your last test," Jennifer teased him. Five of the second year Slytherins came up and took shots, and she goaded them loudly, laughing when they missed, telling them to stick to sparring. It was as the fifth one wound up that Jennifer noticed some familiar faces in the crowd.

"Anna!" Jennifer waved cheerfully as she, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny sifted towards the booth in the growing crowd. "Come give it a go, guys, Slytherin just can't aim. Hey Hermione, don't suppose you've read any books on how to throw have you? Ginny, you can catch maybe you can actually get near the target once in awhile."

"Notice she didn't ask the boys to step up," Ron said. "Well, I'm going to do it. I want to get even for the fact you're the one of the only teachers that gives us homework on the first day of class!" He said and stepped up, putting his money on the table. "And I want purple, ichor green, and pumpkin orange," he declared, watching Jennifer scrunch up her face as his color choices.

"Fine, no sweat, you won't even hit a target," Jennifer said, "You never had a perfect test in your life, you won't get a perfect score!"

"No extra balls, please," he said. "Well, we'll see about that," he said, and hit the first target straight on. Several of the students cheered. He then nicked the second one, but it was enough, and the target went down.

"Not bad, not bad," Jennifer laughed, "But your luck's going to run out some time!" She said, just as Ron hit the third target. "Hey Seamus, you still watching? Ron's totally trying to show you up again…" she felt a slight shudder as he hit the fourth, blinked, then looked over at him thoughtfully. "Hey, Ron, can I talk you into changing the pumpkin orange to something more my shade?"

A cheering roar went up as Ron hit the last wheel and color sprayed out from all directions over Jennifer, covering her from head to toe in the three colors. Ichor green had ended up being the dominant, with half of her face and parts of her robe in brilliant purple and the other half of her face and parts of her sleeves and hands taking on the pumpkin orange. She stepped out laughing good naturedly as the barker handed Ron a stuffed snugly bear who handed it to Hermione as the toy started cuddling cutely into her arm. Filius, who had been watching for quite some time, hopped up to take the seat, copying Jennifer's style by taunting the students into stepping up. Jennifer headed over to Anna, still grinning, taking a moment to salute Ron and shake his hand.

"That's not permanent, I hope?" Anna asked, grinning at the wild coloring.

"Nah, wears off eventually and it's harmless. It's actually a lot of fun!" she grinned. "Anybody go down the slide yet?"

"We haven't been on anything yet, but I want to do the Soarer coaster first," Ginny said.

"Me too, I've never been on one," Harry agreed.

"We're sure that thing is safe, right?" Hermione asked, looking thoughtfully at it.

"Well, if you're going on that, I'm not joining you. That thing makes racing brooms look tame to me," Jennifer said. Just then they watched as the car, shaped a bit like a Chinese dragon, shot up the bowing track and off of it, doing a quick loop before turning on its side and soaring in a spiral around the castle before taking a plunging dive into another loop, leaning back to its other side for one last swing around the castle before heading back to its track.

"Wow. Okay, I want to try that!" Anna said, grabbing Harry and Jennifer, who was struggling to get free.

"I'm not going on that! You go. I'm going down the slide, it looks much tamer," Jennifer protested.

"I'm not touching that slide, not after what Malfoy and his gang did last night!" Ron said disgustedly. Jennifer stopped and put her hands on her hips.

"And just how exactly did you find out about that?" she asked, squinting at Harry suspiciously. He grimaced, knowing he couldn't hide the fact that he'd been out there from her. "You just be glad Snape didn't catch you," Jennifer said frowning disapprovingly at him. "Not to mention me."

"I had to talk to Madame Rosmerta about something important," Harry explained quickly. But before Jennifer could question them further they were getting on the ride, and Jennifer backed way up then walked over to the slide. Taylor and Doug were just in front of her talking, but they quickly became quiet when she walked up, and she shook her head as she read their faces.

"Oh no, not you two too! Good grief, I knew we were slipping, but this is ridiculous," Jennifer muttered. "What, was half the school out here?"

"Uh, Professor, you see…"

"No, no, save yourselves and don't say anything," Jennifer warned them. They exhaled as they realized she was going to let them off the hook. "But I swear, I'd better not catch you doing anything like that again." Several other students came up behind her and she decided not to say anything else, climbing up the spiral steps to the top of the icy ramp, and belly flopping down comically on the toboggan slide as she headed down the icy slope towards the bottom of the ramp. Falling into the cushion of snow at the bottom, Jennifer rolled off chuckling and stood to dust herself off, waving to Filius who was sporting pink, blue, and white. "That was great! Filius, these rides are super! I'm going to ride the carousel later if I can find one that won't throw me."

"What, not the Soarer Coaster? It took me two weeks to make that, you know. In fact, I'm going on it now, come on!" He coaxed her.

"No way," she grinned at him. "Who's in the booth?"

"Rolanda is there, with half the school's Quidditch teams trying to get her painted in their team colors," Filius chuckled.

"I'm going to go see that!" Jennifer grinned. Rolanda was having a hard time getting anyone to hit the targets, and was laughing at them nearly uncontrollably, especially at the Chasers, goading them for not being able to throw. "Where's Justin?" Jennifer asked the crowd after no one could get past the third target, "I bet he can get her off that perch."

"Hey, Jennifer! No one said staff couldn't try, or do you throw like you ride a broom?" Rolanda said, enjoying herself way too much.

"Fine, I'll bite," Jennifer laughed, working her way up. "Blue and bronze, please, in honor of my mother. And just five balls, I like a good challenge."

"Aha, is that how you ended up with Snape?" Rolanda laughed.

"That's it, she's mine," Jennifer laughed, and threw the first ball, landing it. The Ravenclaw team cheered loudly as she wound up for the second, hitting it square on.

"Wow, she can throw and she doesn't even have to look in her mirror to do it, I'm so impressed!" Rolanda chuckled.

"Rolanda, I swear, if you don't stop I'm either going to flatten you or I'm going to be laughing too hard to throw!" Jennifer said, hitting the third one.

"Fault! Fault! Penalty for throwing over the line! Come on, barker, did you see that?" Rolanda said, pointing accusingly at Jennifer.

"Ha! This from the person who hasn't made a good call all year!" Jennifer laughed. "You really need to clean your goggles off once in awhile so you can tell the difference between a Snitch and a dirt speck!" Jennifer harped back.

"At least I know how to duck a Bludger! How many speeds does that automatic have, anyhow? Slow, super slow, and hyper slow?" Rolanda asked, as Jennifer hit the fourth target. "There! Did you see that? That ball just went faster than Jennifer's broom! Maybe you should try throwing it instead of riding it sometime! Might get farther." Jennifer looked over at Rolanda and the both of them broke out in another round of laughter to the point where the last ball thudded down the bottom of the booth as Jennifer lost control of the throw. "Looks like Professor Craw took another dive! Who's next?"

But fortunately by that time Justin had been found, and he took all seven balls, having no intention of taking any chances. But he need not have worried. At lightning speed he hit the targets while Rolanda, still trying to recover from her bout with Jennifer, tried to think of things to say before a spray of black and yellow came up around her, leaving the top half yellow and the bottom white with splotches of each on the other, the Hufflepuff team clapping loudly, and everyone giving Justin a clout on the back as Rolanda stepped down.

"I'm starving. Jennifer, how about we let the barker break for lunch? I'm in the mood for some meat rolls and butterbeer," Rolanda grinned at her companionably. Agreeing that that sounded like a plan, the barker closed up for a bit as the girls headed over to the Three Brooms pavilion. It was quite packed when they got there, but Jennifer spotted Dumbledore and Severus at a table in the back of the pavilion and headed over. Dumbledore chuckled at their appearances.

"Ah, here come two of my more colorful professors now. Come have a seat! I see you both have all ready done your time on the wheels, have you?" Dumbledore smiled. Jennifer sat next to Severus, as he smirked at her purple face.

"I was the first one in," Jennifer said cheerfully. "It's very fun! Ron finally got me. You should get in it, Severus."

"I most certainly will not."

"He's right, Jennifer. Just think, we might lose the entire student body in a comatose state of shock to see him in anything but black," Rolanda grinned.

"Oh, come on, Severus, where's your Christmas spirit? And you'd sure to be very popular," Jennifer said flirtatiously.

"I'll spare myself the fame," Severus said, trying to ignore Jennifer.

"Well, I think everyone should get in the thing at least once," Rolanda said, "Dumbledore, can't you talk him into it? I'm sure the students would have a blast."

"I'll make a deal with you, Severus," Dumbledore said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I'll go over there and stay in there for a half an hour, if you go in there for five minutes."

"Five minutes? But that's nothing, Dumbledore, it took them over an hour before they nailed me," Rolanda protested.

"See? Chances are you won't even get touched, but you should at least give them a small chance at it," Jennifer said coaxingly. Severus scowled at Dumbledore, and then at Jennifer, Rolanda then back at Dumbledore.

"Fine. Five minutes, but only if Dumbledore goes first so he can't find a good excuse to get out of it later." Severus said. "I cannot believe I'm agreeing to this," he muttered to himself.

By the time they had finished lunch, Jennifer was back to her normal colors, and Dumbledore true to his word got onto the platform. A huge crowd immediately developed in front as everyone realized who was in there, although no one seemed to want to step up and actually try it.

"Oh, come on, you guys were willing to try and hit me often enough," Jennifer said at their nervousness and put down some knuts, picking out a few colors. Strangely enough, all her shots went very wide, not even able to hit the first target. "Well, that's strange," she muttered, knowing quite well she should have been able to hit at least once. As she stood there she noticed someone else step up, then found herself grinning at Harry as he put down some coins. She turned around to wave at his three companions, and then back at Anna, who was standing with Severus. Harry, unfortunately, had just as bad luck as she did, and so Ron tried… but he too, had no luck, and neither did Justin, even though both of them, Jennifer knew, were unbelievable good shots. Dumbledore smiled and nodded as each person tried, but didn't try to goad them at all, instead he turned to a book that he took out of his pocket, reading it.

"He's cheating! He has to be," Severus snapped, looking at the Headmaster accusingly. Anna, who had been thinking the same thing, stepped over, paying the knuts, and picked one of the balls up then threw it, aiming not for the target but off to the side. It hit the target, causing Dumbledore to regain interest, putting the book away and watching her thoughtfully. Anna, thinking she figured it out, then tried the same thing with the next target, but it hit exactly where she had intended it to go. She tried hitting the target dead on, but it didn't want to hit that either. It was at that point she knew it was going to take more balls than she had to do this. No matter what she tried to do she couldn't hit the second target. Finally she stepped back and Hermione came over to her.

"How did you hit that first target?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Trying to hit it off to the side," Anna said. "But it wouldn't work on the second one." Hermione decided to try it herself, and by using the same method as Anna also managed to hit the first target, but not the next one. Suddenly she got an idea, and handed one of her balls back to Anna.

"It's a puzzle, I'm sure of it. Maybe it takes more than one person. Here, try to hit the second one now that I've hit the first one," Hermione suggested. But Anna tried and it did the same thing again. And yet, there was something right about Hermione's reasoning, and Anna knew it.

"Hermione, the way it works is a person can hit the first target by trying not to hit it, but never the second, right?"

"Right, that's why I was thinking another person would help," Hermione said.

"But if whichever target is hit first is the first target. So once that's determined, it can't be hit anymore," Anna said.

"Maybe it takes five people at once?" Hermione suggested.

"I bet that's it," Anna agreed, and went over to the table. Anna put a few sickles on the table to order her colors and getting five balls handed one to Hermione, Harry, Ginny, and Ron. "On the count of three, guys, ready?"

"Ready," they grinned back.

"Don't try to hit the targets, just try to throw at the same time," Hermione reminded them. "Alright, Anna!"

Just on the mark of three they all threw their balls and sure enough they all hit their targets at the same time as an explosion of colors went out upon the Headmaster as the crowd behind them cheered. As the color spray ended everyone laughed to see Dumbledore completely colored in rainbow stripes from head to toe, even over his trailing beard. He gently wiped his glasses clean of the color and put them back on as he stepped down, smiling warmly at the five.

"Amazing what you can accomplish when you work together, isn't it?" Dumbledore said in amusement.

"Hey, who do I give the prize to?" the barker wanted to know.

"May I?" Dumbledore asked, and the other five nodded as he took the bear. Suddenly it popped into five smaller bears in rainbow colors, jumping out and into their hands with a wink. Finally Dumbledore turned and looked at Severus, who was attempting to back away from the crowd and escape Dumbledore's searching eye.

"Your turn, Professor Snape. A deal is a deal," he said, somehow making his low voice heard above the crowd. Jennifer, who hadn't noticed Severus slipping away behind her, quickly spotted him, and folded her arms. The crowd began chattering in excitement again as Severus reluctantly stepped forward, scowling at them as if threatening anyone and everyone who was considering stepping up to the counter.

"Five minutes," Severus said, "and then you leave me alone about it the rest of the festival."

"Agreed," Dumbledore said with a slight smile on his face.

"Only five minutes? But hardly anyone will get a chance, maybe two or three people," Ron said. Seamus took two steps back from the counter.

"Not me, he hasn't posted potion tests yet," Seamus said with a chuckle. Several other students, upon thinking about that, decided to back up as well.

"Well, someone try it!" Jennifer said, as Severus looked at his watch, "He's only up there five minutes!" She looked out towards the crowd then and slipped into it as Dumbledore watched her with amusement before turning back at Julie Brim, who worked herself into trying. She was quickly surrounded by tons of encouraging voices as she tried, and managed to hit two of the targets before falling short. Next came Parvati Patil, Draco's Gryffindor girlfriend, who managed to hit three. Just then Jennifer fought her way up to the front with someone in tow, putting money down on the table and handed a ball to him.

"Don't move, Severus, he paid before the five minutes were up!" Jennifer said. "Pick a few colors, Neville."

Neville Longbottom never had a particular like for the potion's professor…in fact, he had always been rather afraid of him. It was that fear that suddenly led to his decision of colors, and a genuine smile crept across his face as he thought of his grandmother's usual wardrobe. Quickly so he wouldn't lose his nerve he threw the balls, hitting each target with such accuracy that one couldn't help but wonder if another force was involved as Severus got sprayed with the dye. Neville suddenly found himself in a cheering rush of laughing praising students, hoisting him up on their shoulders and carrying him out into the courtyard.

Severus came out nearly completely green, with brown on his legs and specks of red scattered about making him look like a tall, spindly Christmas tree. Jennifer couldn't help but to burst out in laughing as he went over and said something quite short to Dumbledore, who managed to give him only a controlled smile in return. Jennifer tried to stop laughing but just couldn't help it, so wasn't too surprised to find Severus picking her up, carrying her over to the platform, and setting her down on it heading over to the counter. She also wasn't too surprised when he didn't miss.

After the experience of being hot pink for the rest of the evening, Jennifer decided not to get into the wheel again, and it was just as well. The next day was her day to oversee the rides and help with security, and the day after that was her schedule appointment with Francis Pyther.

Francis, whom she had met the evening before, was a thin, pale, dark haired man that greeted her with a charming, gentle smile and thoughtful red eyes, instantly delighted to learn that she was going to be sitting for him. He had nearly reached out to kiss her hand when they were first introduced, but when Minerva went on to say she was Severus' fiancée, he quickly pulled his hand back apologetically and bowed nobly to her instead. Jennifer couldn't help but wonder about it, noticing from the painter's face that he had already had some words with Severus since he had arrived. However, true to her word, Minerva had sent Severus on an errand of some sort the night of her sitting, and Jennifer was able to slip into her new blue velvet dress with elegant dropdown shoulders and form-fit bodice, flowing out into a full, elegant skirt. As she looked in the mirror she noticed her neck looked unnervingly bare and opted suddenly to go with a choker of white pearls that had been her mother's before heading down to the tent.

Mr. Pyther's receptionist welcomed her, showing her to the sitting room where Pyther was intensely absorbed in finishing up the final details of his picture of Dumbledore. Dumbledore sitting at the other end of the tent smiled warmly at Jennifer, and Pyther stopped and smiled at him.

"There, that's the look I was missing! A warm, rather proud look…I definitely have to get that in here," Pyther said decidedly. Jennifer peered over the painter's shoulder, amazed at the level of artistry and precise coloring in the painting. She couldn't imagine that he missed anything; the painting had so much of Dumbledore in it all ready, and had even captured the twinkle that often appeared in his eyes. The painting suddenly looked up and winked at her, and Jennifer chuckled softly, causing Pyther to look around in surprise.

"Your work is positively amazing, Mr. Pyther." Jennifer said, smiling apologetically for startling him.

"Well! Now I know where that smile came from. Professor Craw, you are poetry in motion. I look at you and see a vision of springtime that refuses to fade into summer. Please feel free to make yourself comfortable. I won't be much longer."

"You have been saying that for some time," Dumbledore pointed out to him good-naturedly. "Of course, I was planning on staying anyhow, so it is of no matter." With flourishing, exaggerated movements, Pyther put on some finishing touches, and turned the painting around for Dumbledore's inspection.

"Francis, you are most definitely one of the most talented artists in the world, there is no doubt of that. What do you think of it, Jennifer?" Dumbledore asked. Jennifer gazed at the painting, which smiled warmly back at her in return.

"It's perfect," Jennifer said with a smile. Francis bowed to both of them.

"I'm quite honored, for both the opportunity and the complements," he smiled. He then set the painting back to dry and went to get a fresh canvas as Jennifer and Dumbledore switched places. His palette was filled with white paint and he took out a needle, but as he took a step forward he hesitated. Jennifer, seeing his discomfort, took the needle herself and pricked her finger, letting a few drops of blood drop into the paint which then separated on its on into colors matching her main tones. Smiling gratefully, he took it back and headed over to the canvas.

Jennifer was soon made to tell him a bit about herself so he could begin to get a feel for her personality and emotions, and he seemed to be interested in everything, from growing up to school work, even to her fear in broom riding, and her experience riding on Unicorns. Every now and then she would get to something that would make her hesitate, but Dumbledore would always smile at her reassuringly and she would continue. It was after he had found out that the painting was for Severus that his questions took another dramatic turn, getting more difficult as he began to ask how they first met and how they got together.

It was at that point that Dumbledore picked up the conversation, reminding her of the Ministry Ball, and the night she woke up from Cosmic Sleep, and last year when they had announced Christmas morning they were engaged. She even found herself talking a little about when he proposed, and even, at Dumbledore's curious inquiry, gave an account of what had really happened between Peeves and them that day he decided to taunt them through the school. Jennifer, who hadn't at that point realized that Peeves had going through the entire school singing blushed noticeably, apologizing emphatically to Dumbledore for the trouble, which he waved it off.

"Nonsense, Jennifer. I don't think the two have you have ever been indiscreet, and everyone in the school knows that Peeves only does those sorts of things to get people into trouble. Do not worry yourself about it. Be assured if I or Minerva ever had any doubts about your discretion you would have already heard about it by now," Dumbledore said.

"But in the past, I know most of the other times professors were involved or married, they kept it secret." Jennifer said.

"Not all of them. And the reasons for the ones that I do know about, I assure you were a bit more complicated than school image. Just as Severus and your reasons for making it public was also more complicated than that, and it was not something either of you did lightly. Goodness, I've never known the two of you do much of anything without discussing it for months beforehand, or even consulting me on occasion. In fact, and don't you dare tell him I told you so, he's even come to me about your discussion about whether or not to have children."

"Professor!" Jennifer said, looking completely shocked at first before her face turned into a deep crimson.

"And, while we're on the subject, I'd like to put your mind at ease about something that I know has been on bothering you for quite some time. If the two of you manage to find a way to reasonably handle both a family and your job responsibilities, which I have no doubt you are capable of doing, I have every intention of supporting your decision to pursue that in every way. I'm not about to let one of my best professors go just because she wants to have children, and woe to any member of the board who tries to convince me otherwise," Dumbledore said with such reassurance that Jennifer's face lit of up relief and joy, taking a quick moment to get up and hug him warmly. He patted her back with a smile. "You'd better get back over there so Francis can finish the painting, you know."

"Great stars, I totally forgot!" Jennifer said, flustered, apologizing emphatically and wiping the tears out of her eyes as Francis chuckled.

"That is quite all right, the more emotions I can see the better the painting, you know. And you, my dear, are a diamond of emotions, each one having many facets, yet as clear as crystal and as brilliant as firelight."

"Are you a painter or a poet?" Jennifer laughed, trying to regain her composure on the stool.

"Both! Amazing what well over five hundred years of time can do to help encourage one's ability to do more than one thing at the same time. You see? I can even paint and talk at the same time. What good is it to be cursed if I can't get something out of it in return to the misery it brings me?" he asked glibly. "If it weren't for my art, I probably would have turned into one of the other sort of my kind, cold and heartless, more monster than man. But I am who I am, and I've learned to be content with that, despite what challenges it throws at me."

"Tell me, Francis," Dumbledore asked, "wasn't your father a painter as well?"

"Yes, of course. Very famous in fact, and quite a famous man in general too. He did several of the paintings in the school as well, you know. I used to hang around the sitting room and watch him paint. I'd always known that that was what I wanted to do when I grew up…to make an image, to capture in it the heart and soul of the person so clearly that hundreds and hundreds of years later someone might look and know them…I don't think I'd really care to be anything else. It was what I was meant to be. Shouldn't fight destiny when it looks you in the eye, it can be a mean enemy. Better to have him as a cautious friend," he smiled.

"Very true," Dumbledore nodded. "And yes, I think I've seen your father's work. I was wondering if you might know or remember if Mallus Craw was ever one of his subjects?"

"Oh, my goodness, yes, I will never forget _that_ sitting, even if I was a small boy at the time," Francis nodded, noticing with wonder at Jennifer's stony expression. "Well, there's a new look. Ah, but then, he was a relative of yours wasn't he, Professor? Yes, I suppose all the Craws were. He frightened me terribly as a child. I was so sure I would be his next victim, you know. He was a master of dark magic, but also of sound…the Screamer, they called him, or was it the Shrieker? But he could do more than the banshee cry he was known for, yes much more, the cry of a siren, the call of a lost soul…ah, no doubt about it, he was the most powerful wizard of his time. Perhaps not as powerful as You-know-who, but quite close indeed. And he too hated Muggle kind very strongly. Perhaps not as much as those of Salazar's blood; he hated them as well. Something about an old feud between the two dark magic families caused it…not sure what…I only know that the hatred was there. Anyhow, Mallus began attacking Muggle villages all over Europe, posing as a banshee to cover his tracks, even though everyone who had known him knew who was that was doing it. It was after the time he brought the plague to a town and captured their children, slaughtering them like cattle, that he finally was killed. He was a very frightening, horrifying wizard. You are very fortunate never to have known him."

"We actually did meet a semblance of him in my very office just two months ago, believe it or not," Dumbledore said. "A part of his ghost was captured in the mirror behind the painting." Pyther glanced between Dumbledore and Jennifer.

"I'm terribly sorry! I wasn't aware that something like that was done, or I definitely would have warned you the moment I had heard a Craw had come back to Hogwarts! Good heavens, I hope he wasn't released!"

"Do not worry, he is gone now," Dumbledore assured him, and Pyther relaxed noticeably. "I only bring it up because Jennifer is looking for the Forbidden Tomb, for there is some great concern Voldemort is looking for it."

"Salazar's tomb. Well, he must not find it!" Pyther said pausing from his painting. "Do you think that Mallus Craw's burial place might have a clue? Because you see, I do know where that is. It's in Germany. I'd be happy to show you where if you think it'd be any help."

"That would be most helpful," Dumbledore said after seeing Jennifer nod. "Perhaps you would be willing to escort Jennifer and Professor Snape there just after Christmas before classes start up again?" Pyther froze, the fear now evident in his eyes.

"Sir, no, I couldn't possibly even consider it. As much as I would like to help this good cause, you can't ask me to go anywhere with Professor Snape."

"Jennifer would be with you. I'm sure she'd make sure you both kept it civil," Dumbledore said gently.

"Professor, I really think that would be taking things too far. You can't possibly ask Severus to do this, you know how he gets about Pyther's kind," Jennifer said.

"Vampires, Jennifer, just say the word, please," Dumbledore said. "And I quite assure you, Francis, that he feels the same way about you as you do of him. But the fact remains if Jennifer must go there then you must take her, and I very seriously doubt Severus will let her go alone with you. Besides, now that you have seen him through Jennifer's eyes, can't you see that he's not a bad sort, really, after all?" Dumbledore asked. Dumbledore got up, glancing over at the picture of Jennifer, nearly complete in front of the painter. He nodded at her portrait, and gently towards her, who was still looking extremely concerned over this entire idea. "You do know it, Pyther. It's already there in your painting. And I'm tired of you avoiding the school and trying to do everything through Rosmerta out of fear. I really think you should go through with your offer and help Jennifer find what she needs to find. And Jennifer, Severus is never going to be able to trust himself unless he gets over this. It has to start somewhere," Dumbledore said, sitting back down. Jennifer looked thoughtfully at Pyther who met her gaze in return before changing the conversation to happier thoughts so he could finish up the painting.


	22. A Festive Dance

Chapter Twenty-Two

A Festive Dance

  Just before noon on Christmas Eve, Severus Snape released his detention victims who had been set to clean viscous black slime out of phials, polish cauldrons and scrub stains from exploded material off the ceiling of the potion class, releasing Malfoy and his gang to clean themselves up.  It would be the first day since they were caught they would be allowed to go out and were quick to leave the lab.  But Severus had caught the flash of anger in Draco's eyes and knew that all the scrubbing in the world was not going to erase it.  At precisely noon there was a knock on his office door, and he let Corey in.

  "Mr. Corey Willowby reporting as ordered sir," Corey said cheerfully.

  "So I see," Severus said, closing the door.

  "So, I get to go, right?  I told you everything I was up to, and I laid low and kept quiet just like you asked me to." Corey asked insistently.

  "Malfoy, Crabbe and Longbottom will also be there," Severus said, folding his arms as he frowned at the boy, "and there can be no doubt they will be after revenge.  The likelihood that they will believe your story about your 'accidental' miscalculation of the formula is next to none.  So, you will watch your back, you will keep your hands in your pockets, and you will not let this escalate any further.  If anything happens, you will come straight to me and no one else, is that clear?"

  "Yes sir, Professor," Corey said, resisting the urge to salute.  He was well aware that Snape wanted him to take this whole thing seriously.  Then again, Snape always wanted everything taken seriously.

  Severus dismissed him then and told him to go ahead to the festival, and Corey grinned widely, thanked him and left.  There was little doubt to Severus that Corey still didn't have any idea of how serious things were getting, and all the words and warnings in the world did not seem to get through to him.  He had hoped that he would have been able to curtail him in some way by now, for Severus' sense of foreboding about the situation between Corey and Draco was growing steadily worse, and his concern for everyone involved was also growing.  It was disturbing, very disturbing, how many events seemed to be going on right now that seemed frighteningly close to events that happened almost twenty years ago.  Severus, for one, did not want them to repeat.

  He spent a few hours marking test papers and testing the students' potion phials, and was half way through seventh years when Remus knocked and came in.

  "There you are, I was wondering what was keeping you," Severus nodded to him and over to the cauldron.  "Happy Christmas, that's all you're getting from me."  Remus chuckled and ladled himself the potion.

  "Good, because I didn't get you anything either.  Have you seen Sirius today?"  Remus asked.

  "No, I haven't gone outside of the school yet, I've been busy," Severus explained, testing another phial with a dropper, watching it change color and making a mark on the paper in front of him.  "Besides, I was waiting for you to get here."

  "Thank you.  Not exactly the way I want to be spending Christmas, I assure you.  But as I was going to say, I was wondering if you noticed anything strange about him since he got back?"

  "No stranger than normal."

  "Well, he wouldn't talk about it, and neither would Anna, and he's been brooding.  I take it things didn't go well between them?" Remus asked.  Severus looked up, squinting at him.

  "If you're trying to imply that there's something going on between my sister and that…that friend of yours, you're highly mistaken.  She has more sense than to get mixed up with the likes of Black.  Besides, I spoke to Anna myself after the incident and she didn't mention anything about him except for the fact he came barging in during a family dinner and made himself look like a fool," Severus said, testing another phial.  The phial's color turned white and he grimaced at it, shook his head, and made another mark.

  "Let me get this straight.  Sirius Black chases your sister halfway across the world to make sure she's planning on returning back here to Hogwarts, comes back empty handed, and your sister comes back a week later and acts as if nothing happened, and you don't see anything to be concerned about?" Remus asked amusedly.

  "No," Severus said, straightening the papers and stoppering phials as he got up.

  "What if they had come back together?" Remus challenged him.  Severus glanced up; frowned at him for a moment, before putting the phials back on his shelf.  "That's what I thought," Remus said, drinking down his potion.

  After Severus got rid of Remus, he got dressed in one of his newer black robes and headed over to Jennifer's room, glancing at his watch to make sure he was not too early.  Knocking gently beside the painting of the raven Dewhurst that covered her door, he spoke the password and entered to see Jennifer sitting on the couch in an alluring blue velvet dress, her long auburn hair down and curled around her face as she gazed thoughtfully out the open window.  He stood there, watching her pensive face, wishing and not for the first time he could read her as easily as she could read him.  She was so incredibly beautiful sitting there that he almost wished he could capture it, or stand there forever and just watch her, finding himself caught in incredulous wonder that she could possibly be interested in someone like him.  Just then she looked up, startled to see him there, then smiled warmly at him and stood up.

    "I'm so sorry, Severus, I didn't hear you come in," Jennifer said, grabbing her Night Shroud, twisting it up slightly to use as a wrap.  "I'm ready, I think.  How do I look?" she asked, spinning around.

  "Like someone who should be locked in a tower until she's safely married," Severus said, only partially teasing.  "If I could only find a way to keep you from escaping."

  "You don't have to worry about me, Severus, I'm not going anywhere," Jennifer declared, linking her arm with his.  "I'm already where I want to be, and who I want to be with, and nothing will be able to change that."

  "And if I asked you to marry me tonight?" he asked.

  "Then I would, of course!  But you know, I don't think Minerva has all the brides maid dresses done, I think she'd be a tad livid," Jennifer chuckled.  "And besides, what ever happened to your vision of a marriage in the Great Hall with everyone there to see?"  Severus stood in front of the door, pausing a moment before he opened it to gaze into her eyes, taking on a more serious expression.

  "I still want that," he said softly, touching her cheek.

  "You don't want to wait until Voldemort is defeated anymore, do you?"  Jennifer asked softly, her face also becoming more serious. 

  "Do I still want him and all of his followers were defeated before we were married?  Yes.  Am I still willing to put our lives on hold waiting for it to happen?" he asked himself, before looking back to her and shaking his head.  "No.  His presence has already run my life for far too long.  And so has," he sighed sharply, "my quest for revenge.  Three years ago, it was the only thing that mattered to me.  But I think it's time I started living for the future, instead of the past, and I'm only sorry that it took me so long to realize it."  Jennifer smiled with pure happiness, kissing him lovingly.

  "I would have waited until the end of time for you if I had to.  Besides, the extra year gave us more time to get to know each other.  Like how annoyingly overprotective you can get," Jennifer said.

  "And how annoyingly headstrong you can get," Severus accused her right back as he opened the door and headed down the stairs.

  "Me?  Look who's talking, you're as stubborn as a dragon," Jennifer teased him with a grin.  "And just as bad tempered sometimes."

  "Don't give me that.  You can be just as bad tempered as I, and I don't direct it at you, although you seem to direct it at me all the time," Severus said.

  "Oh yeah?  What about last Halloween?"  Jennifer asked.

  "That was different.  You deserved it," Severus said defensively.

  "Well, so did you," Jennifer chuckled.

  "You walked out on me," he accused her.

  "I had good reasons, though, admit it," Jennifer said.

  "I'll admit nothing of the kind," Severus said back.  Minerva, who had been standing at the main door talking to a student, suddenly peered over at them as they approached and shook her head at them, smiling slightly.

  "Are the two of you going to be arguing like that all night?"  Minerva asked them amusedly.

  "No, if she keeps it up I'm throwing her back up on the color wheel," Severus said.

  "Not in this dress, you don't!"  Jennifer said.  "Minerva, please ask him to behave!"

  "Let me just remind both of you that you're supposed to be chaperones to the dance and not the main event?" Minerva said, her smile growing a little.

  "She started it," Severus said.  Jennifer laughed and waved at Minerva as they walked outside, leaving Minerva to chuckle softly to herself.

  It was still quite early, but the tables under the canopy had already been rearranged around a dance floor that seemed to be made of the same, ice-like tiles that was on the floor of the Three Brooms pavilion.  They had dinner at a table near the bar just before the outside guests started to arrive and students began to trickle out, most of them looking somewhat awkward in their dress apparel.  It was then that Jennifer noticed Sirius sitting by himself drinking a Butterbeer, brooding as he waited for Harry to come down.  Jennifer went over, Severus close behind, trying to read Sirius' face from where he sat.

  "Happy Christmas Eve, Sirius!  Good to see you!"  Jennifer greeted him warmly.  "Where's Anna?"  Severus gave Jennifer a dirty look.

  "She already had a date," Sirius said glumly, "and she wouldn't say who with."  Jennifer blinked and looked over at Severus.

  "Did she say anything to you?"  Jennifer asked.

  "No," Severus said, irritated.  "Let's check the guest list."  The two of them wandered over to the gate where Audacious Belle stood guard. She was talking to Arthur and Molly Weasley, who were just coming in.  They took a moment to greet them as well, Arthur taking a moment to complement Jennifer on her dress as well as the festival, deciding to take a look around before the dance started.  It was then that Jennifer was able to talk Audi into a look at the guest list.

  "Well?"  Severus asked impatiently.

  "Give me a minute!  So far I don't see anyone out of the ordinary," Jennifer told him.  "Ugh, Pummeler Jasper?  You don't think…"

  "Not with _my_ sister," Severus said in annoyance.  "Anyone else?"

  "Extended staff, people from the Ministry, and friends of the school.  I don't know who else she might have met, but there's definitely no one unexpected here," Jennifer sighed, handing the list back to Audi, who seemed to be holding back laughter.

  "It had better not be Mars Jasper," Severus muttered then glared at annoyance at Audi.  "Do you know something we don't?"  Jennifer looked over at her too, but she was busy greeting Vallid, who smiled at them warmly.

  "Merry Christmas, all!" Vallid said.  She was wearing a festive holly red brocade dress robe with a bright green sash, looking quite elegant but still as professional as ever.  "Jennifer, Audi, you look splendid!"

  "Enter and be welcome," Audi cackled, checking her name off the list.  "Glad to see you could make it.  I wasn't sure if you would."

  "Oh, I'm not staying all night, just for awhile, then I'm off towards home for dinner with the family.  So where's all the action at?  This is quite a spread," Vallid said, winking at Jennifer.

  "We can walk you over," Jennifer offered with a smile.  Students now bustled around them in front of the market tents for their last minute shopping, and Vallid couldn't help but run in and get some candy from Honeydukes before they headed to the canopy.

  "You can't get the handmade candies in the States.  Everything is mass produced over there," she explained, patting her candy away in her pocket.  "I have a grandson that will be happy to see these in the morning."

    Dumbledore had arrived by the time they had gotten back, and Vallid went immediately over to where he sat with Arthur and Molly Weasley.  Harry and Ginny had joined Sirius, and Hermione and Ron had already hit the dance floor.

  "Professor Craw!" Corey, Taylor and Doug walked up to them, and Corey bowed as gracefully as he could.  "M'lady witch, you look positively enchanting!  May I have the honor of this dance?" he said, trying to make his voice sound older and more dignified. 

  Biting back laughter, Jennifer offered him her hand, winking back at Severus as they went out on the dance floor.  Doug sighed and handed Taylor a couple of sickles, who in turn grinned and thanked him.  Severus scowled knowingly at them, and the two boys decided to quickly clear out.

  Surveying the room, Severus recognized Ludo Bagman, and who else would be walking with him than Mars Jasper, chatting like old friends.  Severus relaxed slightly and smirked, figuring the two of them would probably keep each other occupied for hours, trying to outdo each other's Quidditch stories.  But where was Anna?  It was then he noticed that Sirius had gotten up and only Ginny and Ron were sitting there now, and he peered around curiously.

  Sirius had turned to glance towards the path as he listened to Harry recount the tale of Crabbe and Amadeus getting caught on the slide.  Nearly the entire school knew about it now…it was too good to keep a secret for too long, although the eyewitness chose to remain anonymous.

  "They had to have used an Invisibility Potion.  That's probably why they got stuck in Snape's detention," Hermione grinned.  "Somebody must have really botched it for them to have come out of it so early."

  "I think I know who, too," Ron said with a grin.  "I bet it was Corey Willowby.  I saw him in the common room the other day, and asked him why he wasn't at the festival and he said he was in trouble, but he didn't say for what.  This is just like something he would do."  Hermione looked over at him thoughtfully.

  "I'm not sure that Corey could actually make the potion.  The formula is just too complex for a first year."

  "Corey is anything but normal," Ginny said.  "He never forgets anything that he reads you know, he was quoting poetry to me in the common room the other day."

  "Oh, not again," Harry said, frowning.  "I really have to have a talk with him."

  "Oh, Harry, he's perfectly harmless," Ginny shook her head.

  "You think maybe he's found anything out about the potion class?" Hermione asked suddenly, looking out on the dance floor where the boy was stiffly dancing with Professor Craw.

  "Maybe it's time we asked him," Harry said, getting up.  "Come on, Hermione, the song's almost over.  I'll go dance with Craw and you can try and get something out of Corey."

    It was just after they left that Sirius spotted Anna and excused himself from the table.  She had paused to speak to Rosmerta over near the bar, and Sirius found himself immediately entranced with her, standing in an exquisite silk gown with a green bodice that fluted out into a filmy, silvery skirt.  He approached cautiously and Rosmerta smiled at him.  Anna looked up, amused to see him in his rich navy dress robes after seeing him mostly in white shirts and jeans.

  "Good evening, Rosmerta, Anna, you both look unbelievably lovely tonight," Sirius bowed, kissing first Rosmerta's hand then Anna's.  "I trust you are both enjoying your evening thus far?"

  "Don't give me that act, where have you been lately?  You've been avoiding me all week," Anna snapped with irritation.  Rosmerta quickly excused herself.

  "What do you mean where have _I_ been?  You're the one that's never home_.  I've_ been where I've _always_ been, guarding the forest."  Sirius said with irritation.  "And I thought you told me you had a date."

  "I do," she said, peering in the Broom's pavilion.  It was then that someone came towards them, smiling warmly at Anna as he handed her a drink, before nodding to Sirius with a guarded smile.  Sirius stared at him with complete disbelief and utter contempt.  "Sirius, I don't suppose you know my date, Ederick Thurspire?"

  "Yes, we've met," Ederick said, sipping his drink.

  "You have _got_ to be kidding."  Sirius said after a moment.  "Just how did you meet this rare and indisputable master of incompetence?"

  "Sirius!"

  "It's quite all right, Anna.  It would have been asking too much of him to set aside past differences for an evening and be a gentleman.  But, in the spirit of the season, perhaps you can spare the lady from creating a scene?" Ederick asked in a polite, almost amused tone.  Sirius glared at him, literally biting his tongue.

  "For Anna, I would do anything to make her happy," Sirius said, bowing almost mockingly this time.  "But putting up with you is definitely pushing it."  Sirius glanced back at Anna, who looked anything but happy.  "I'll be around all evening if you need me," he said and stalked away.  He then saw Severus standing near the dance floor and went over to him.  Severus looked over at him quizzically.  "She's here with Ederick Thurspire," Sirius muttered, jerking his head behind him.

  "You can't be serious." Severus said with a blank expression on his face.

  "Not only am I Sirius, but I'm serious.  Look for yourself."

  Severus took a few steps, blinking and shaking his head to himself, as he saw them sit down at a table, talking amiably.  He strode over as Ederick was in the middle of explaining a case he was working on.

  "Good evening, Anna, Happy Christmas," Severus said evenly, while keeping a wary eye on Ederick.

  "Merry Christmas, Severus!  Where's Jennifer?"

  "Dancing with the students.  She's always a popular partner," Severus said, waving it off.  "Might I ask just where, exactly, did you come across this walking amoeba?"  Anna stared at him.  Why was everyone so hard on Ederick?  He was a really nice guy, and Dumbledore had had no concerns about inviting him.  In fact he thought it had been rather amusing.

  "Ederick and I met at the Ministry one of the times Vallid took me there and was interested in Muggle police work, which I was involved in, as I've told you before.  He's also quite intelligent and I'd rather you not insult his intelligence anymore, thanks."

  "I can't insult something he has nothing of," Severus said calmly.  "Why don't you tell her about your investigation of me, Ederick?  Perhaps she'd find that…interesting.  Or is this just another way of getting to me?"

  "Don't flatter yourself, Severus.  I've more important priorities than you at the moment.  As for Anna, let me assure you my interest is based on her charm, kindness, and personality.  In other words, she's completely the opposite of her older brother.  Good thing I don't judge people by their families."  Anna looked at Ederick and was about ready to say something but Severus was quicker, his temper beginning to rise.

  "Funny, you seemed to judge Jennifer quickly enough based on her family," Severus snapped, his eyes flashing dangerously.  "Anna, I don't know what this so-called investigator has told you about his work, but what he hasn't told you is that his overall opinion of this school and its staff are questionable.  I would take anything he says with a grain of salt.  Why don't you do us all a favor and the next time you need a scape-goat accuse yourself instead so we aren't tempted to kill you again."  With that, Severus walked off, leaving Anna to rub her aching head as Ederick put a comforting arm around her, telling her not to worry about it.

  Severus tapped his hand against his arm in total irritation, looking around again.  Corey, it seemed, had taken up at Harry's table in a huddle that could not mean anything good.  He was just about to go over there when he felt an arm wrap around his and looked over to meet Jennifer's warm smile.

  "There you are, I've been looking for you.  Save me from the students, please!"  Jennifer begged, chuckling.  "None of them can dance!  All right, Harry's definitely gotten better, but those first years are murder.  What's wrong?  Anna?"

  "She's here with Ederick Thurspire."  Jennifer made a face.

  "That's disgusting.  How did Sirius take it?"

  "How did Sirius take it?"  Severus frowned at her.  "She's _my_ sister.  What does it matter what Sirius thinks?"  Jennifer smiled tolerantly.

  "I can guess what you think.  I feel the same way about him, and you know it."  Jennifer said, trying to coax him out on the dance floor.  "And I think, even if you don't want to admit it, you know why it matters what Sirius thinks," she said softly.   "Come now, wouldn't you rather have Sirius seeing your sister than Ederick Thurspire?"

  "If that is our only two choices, I suggest we lock her in a tower instead of you until we can find more options," Severus muttered, leading a chuckling Jennifer out onto the dance floor.

  Jennifer's face lit up immediately, her enthusiasm so apparent that Severus couldn't help but smile softly.  It had been two years since they had danced in public, when Jennifer could barely dance at all.  Now she was gliding across the floor with apparent ease.  Jennifer was also keenly aware that this was the first time they were able to show any semblance of affection towards each other in front of the school and was enjoying every moment of it, secretly tired of always having to go through great lengths to be discreet.  Even Severus seemed to be enjoying himself, just content to have Jennifer safely in his arms, unaware of how evident his adoration of her was showing.

  It wasn't until after the first song ended that Jennifer noticed that there had been quite a number of eyes on them, and suddenly felt like she was being viewed as a novelty.  Severus for his part seemed unconcerned, in fact in a very rare occurrence seemed rather oblivious of everything else around him, questioning her softly during the second dance when she noticed Sirius Black sitting by himself barely touching his drink.  Jennifer slowed noticeably to read his face, and Severus followed her gaze, frowning before looking back towards her.

  "What is it?" he asked with a quiet sigh.

  "He's just miserable, and confused," Jennifer confided quietly, low enough that no one else around them could hear.  "He doesn't understand why she keeps giving him the cold shoulder."

  "Wouldn't anybody?" Severus snorted.

  "No, but a Snape would," Jennifer said, ignoring the tone in his voice.  "I don't know if he scares her, or she's just scared of herself, or just being stubborn, or a bit of all three.  But I know she does really like him and is doing everything to convince herself she doesn't.  You know, I think you should go talk to him."  Severus blinked at her in surprise.

  "Me?  Why should I talk to him?  I hate him.  The last thing I want to do is encourage him in this," Severus said, looking slightly irritated at her.

  "You don't have to encourage him, just help him understand, that's all.  And actually, the fact you don't like each other may make him more willing to listen to you.  He probably thinks his friends are just trying to say stuff to make him feel better.  Besides, even with everything that happened, I think you really do care what happens to him to some extent.  I can see it in your face."

  "Liar," he muttered.  Jennifer stopped cold and gave Severus such a hurt, angry look that he immediately regretted saying that word.  "Jennifer, I didn't mean…"

  "No, just be quiet and try listening to me for a change.  This isn't about you and Sirius, it's about Sirius and your sister and the fact that right now Sirius needs someone to talk to and I think you're the only one who can not only relate to both sides, but can get through that skull of his right now.  You told me earlier you wanted to put the past behind you and start living for the future.  Well, now you have a chance to prove it," Jennifer said and walked off the dance floor, heading over to Dumbledore's table.  Severus sighed loudly and scowled, before turning to where Sirius sat and reluctantly heading over.

  At Dumbledore's table, he and his guests greeted Jennifer warmly as she pulled over a chair.

  "Where's Severus?" Arthur asked curiously.

  "I sent him over to have a talk with Sirius," Jennifer admitted, sitting down.  "I thought it was about time those two worked some things out."

  "I can't agree more," Dumbledore said with a pleased smile.  "I commend you, Jennifer, you were just able to accomplish something I haven't been able to do in months.  Thank you."

  "It was time," Jennifer shrugged slightly, and Dumbledore smiled understandingly, nodding.

  "I can't begin to express how glad I am to hear that," he smiled.

  "By the way, Jennifer, who taught you how to dance?  I thought you told me you danced like you rode a broom," Rolanda asked teasingly.

  "I used to.  Severus taught me, probably to spare his feet from another onslaught," Jennifer chuckled at herself.

  "So the next time the magic card company does another Hogwarts series, should we add ballroom dancing to your hobbies?"  Minerva asked mischievously.

  "Yes, please, just let's do without the mirror thing this time, okay?" Jennifer said with a grin.  "I love dancing now, I wish we had dances more often!"  Dumbledore smiled at her, his eyes twinkling with understanding.

  "Well, we'll have to see if we can't remedy that," he winked at her.  "As long as we don't suffer from a lack of chaperones."

  "Ah, there's Percy and Penelope!  Excuse me a moment, while I let them know where we are," Molly Weasley said, getting up.

  "They're getting married in April, aren't they?"  Minerva asked politely.

  "Yes, that's the plan at the moment anyway," Arthur said cheerfully.  "On a weekend, so I'm hoping you can all make it."

  "I will be there, definitely," Minerva said with a smile.

  "I too, with any luck," Dumbledore added.

  "By the way, what of you and Severus, Jennifer?  Any thoughts of naming a date?"  Arthur smiled at her politely.

  "Well, yes, that is, I mean…we're discussing it," Jennifer admitted.  Dumbledore, Minerva and Rolanda all looked at her.

  "Well, it's about time," Minerva said breaking into a smile.  "You were right again, Albus."  Jennifer looked over at Dumbledore suspiciously, who was beaming at Jennifer.

  "Of course, I knew they would come around.  And I am very glad to hear that as well," Dumbledore said. 

  Suddenly Jennifer saw something that made her jump up in pure panic, making everyone at the table look at her in surprise.

  "Great stars, Anna is dancing with Francis Pyther!" Jennifer said as they swung past the table, glancing back to where Sirius and Severus were still sitting, hoping they didn't notice.

  "Wait, Jennifer, you can't possibly jump in there, I'll do it," Rolanda said quickly and got up.  Dumbledore also got up and followed her over, and Jennifer, looking around, spotted Ederick talking to Molly, Penelope and Percy and asked him to dance, gritting her teeth behind her forced smile.  Ederick, completely surprised, found Jennifer dragging him to the far side of the dance floor.

  "Stay over here.  If Severus sees you dancing with me, he might want to hurt you," Jennifer said quickly.

  "Care to explain what this is all about?" Ederick asked, gazing at her suspiciously.

  "Don't let Francis Pyther cut in and dance with Anna, okay?"  Jennifer said, glancing across the floor.  She relaxed slightly, as Anna was dancing with Dumbledore now, and Pyther was dancing with Madame Hooch.

  "Why not?"  Ederick asked puzzled.

  "Trust, me, Ederick, just don't let it happen again.  I don't know about you, but I really would like to see things stay nonvolatile tonight," Jennifer said.  Just then someone came up and tapped Ederick's shoulder, and it turned out to be Mars Pummeler Jasper, bowing politely and asking to cut in.  Before Jennifer could protest, Ederick quickly gave him her hand and moved away, his curiosity spurring him into motion.  Suddenly Jennifer realized it might have been better if she had explained the entire situation to him before letting him go.  But it was too late now, and she suddenly found herself oozing across the dance floor with Mars, who was smiling at her in a way she decidedly didn't like.

  "You look positively tantalizing this evening, Jennifer.  I hope you don't mind my cutting in, but I saw how gracefully you move across the floor and wanted a chance to dance with the most enticingly lovely witch at the ball," he said, spinning her gently around.

  "And also one of the most unavailable," Jennifer reminded him.

  "Of course, that's what makes you so tantalizing," he winked flirtatiously.  Jennifer was in the process of imagining all the different things she would like to turn him into when Harry came up and tapped on his shoulder.  Before cutting in, however, he pulled Mars aside, said something and pointed to where Ederick and Anna were dancing, before coming back to dance with Jennifer.

  "You know, dances are exhausting work," he confided to her as he picked up the dance.

  "Harry, what are you up to?" Jennifer said, reading his face.  "And why did you tell Pummeler that Anna wanted to dance with him?"

  "I'm doing it for her own good, Professor," he grinned, guiding her closer to the outside tables, nodding to Ron.  Ron nodded back, and watched Anna and Pummeler for a moment before heading over to Sirius and Severus.  Ederick, in the meantime, had decided to go over and have a few words with Francis Pyther, and wasn't paying much attention to what was happening on the floor.  He would have been a bit better off if he had, perhaps, because Pummeler was quite taken with his beautiful new dance partner. 

  "For her own good?  Harry, trust me, Mr. Jasper is, well, a total slime ball," Jennifer said.

  "I know," Harry said, grinning wickedly.  "I caught him trying to make a pass at Madame Hooch last game.  Last time he'll try that again, that's for sure.  Nobody messes with Madame Hooch."

  It was as Sirius stepped up to Anna and Pummeler that Harry and Jennifer stopped even the pretense of dancing, standing on the dance floor watching as Sirius said a few short words to him, hiding behind a charming smile.  But whatever he said must have been far from complementary, because Pummeler suddenly became red faced, bowing coldly and storming off towards the bar.  Sirius then took her hand, barely giving her time to recover before gently leading her across the floor.

  "Not bad, Harry," Jennifer grinned, as they watched Pummeler pass by.  "Guess it's out of our hands now."

  "Not quite, there's still Ederick to deal with," Harry said thoughtfully.

  "Don't worry about Ederick."  Harry and Jennifer jumped slightly and looked around to see Severus standing behind them.  "I think he's going to preoccupied for awhile," he said, smirking slightly.  Ederick was still talking to Pyther, who was standing guardedly next to him, rubbing a small stone nervously in one of his hands.  Pyther then nodded, and the two of them walked out of the canopied area and over to Pyther's tent.

  "I hope Pyther's not in any danger," Jennifer said worriedly, causing Severus to stare at her with a startled expression on his face.

  "Well, I think we're going to go head for the rides now.  Thanks for the dance, Professor!"  Harry said, bowing and waving.

  "Tell me why you just said that," Severus said in a low voice.  His face was expressionless, but his eyes were flashing slightly.

  "Dumbledore had a long talk with him yesterday, and I was present at the time," Jennifer explained, trying not to give anything away about the gift.  "You know, he really isn't a bad guy, once you get to know him."  Severus instantly became convinced that his idea to lock her in a tower wasn't so bad of an idea after all.  "Look, he knew a few things that might help us find the tomb.  In fact, he even knows where Mallus Craw is buried."

  "I don't care if he knows where Solomon's treasure is.  You're not to go anywhere near him," Severus snapped.

  "Severus, not only is Pyther not capable of hurting a fly, but even if he was a threat, I can easily handle one of his kind.  Besides, you get along all right with Remus."

  "That's an entirely different situation.  He's in little danger of starving from his affliction."

  "Hello again Jennifer, Severus," Dumbledore said, having come up beside them.  "I don't think this is the time or place to be talking about this, do you?  Why don't we go sit down at my table and relax a bit and chat," he smiled.

  As they walked back to the table, they were distracted by the sudden presence of Audi Belle with an arm around Pummeler Jasper and a wand under his ribs, followed closely behind by Rosmerta, who had an annoyed, dangerous flash in her eye.

  "Trouble?" Dumbledore asked, pausing thoughtfully.

  "No trouble, Albus dear, just having Audi take out the trash for me," Rosmerta said with a smile as they headed towards the gate.  Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Harry, who had been heading over to the rides, paused to watch as Audi and Rosmerta, exchanging triumphant grins before running to catch up with Sirius and Anna.


	23. Ring the Hogwart Bell

Chapter Twenty-Three

Christmas

It was, in short, a Christmas that no one would forget.

Corey Willowby woke up that morning with Doug Brim shaking him to, grinning widely. He rolled over and told him to go away, but Doug was very persistent.

"Everyone else will be up soon and it's going to be mayhem downstairs. Come on let's get our Christmas presents before everyone else wakes up!" Corey was instantly awake then, hopping out of bed and sneaking downstairs.

"What time is it?" Corey whispered back, shivering slightly as they stood by the fireplace, looking around.

"Four o'clock," Doug whispered back.

"Four o'clock in the bloody morning!?" Corey exclaimed.

"Sssh, be quiet. I've already had a look, and first year presents are all the way in the back. We would have to wait for all the other years if we don't get them now. Hang on a moment," Doug said, and pulled a stack out for Corey, three square packages on the bottom that were unmistakably books.

"I can already tell this is going to be a typical Christmas for me," Corey grunted, then took a seat at the couch. "Three books and I'm sure this package from Mum is clothes."

"I'd rather have books than clothes," Doug said, grimacing as he took out some pajamas he got from his sister that he would never wear in a million years.

"At least you can wear clothes more than once. Why does everyone insist on giving books to people with photographic memories?"

"Who are they from?" Doug wanted to know

"Craw, Snape, and Taylor."

"Taylor got you a book? I got chocolate frogs from him. Thanks for the exploding bubble gum, by the way, I got a whole list of people I want to give it to all ready," Doug grinned at him.

"Thought you might have," Corey said cheerfully back. From his mother, indeed, he had gotten a new pair of shoes (his Mum had suspected he'd all ready worn out his new pair and she was right, Corey tended to be hard on shoes) and a pair of home made wool mittens, with silver sickles hidden inside. "Well, at least I got some cash back from what I spent, but just like I said. Clothes and books just my luck. Oh, but this package from Dad looks promising."

"What are you griping about, you got gifts from two professors, that's not normal, you know. I didn't get any from any of them, and I get in a lot less trouble than you do," Doug complained.

Corey's father gave him a hand video game set he'd asked for the year before (they had had a bad year last year and he couldn't manage it) and plenty of spare batteries. His brother had sent him an entire box of football cards, and his sister had made him up a box of candy and homemade cookies, and a sourdough angel ornament. Doug gave him some Bertie Botts beans, and Ginny had gotten him a very large butterbeer sucker from Honeydukes. There was another oddly shaped package as well, which, oddly enough, said it was from Snape as well. It turned out to be a potion in a black opaque bottle with an ornate stopper, and Corey frowned at it immediately.

"Oh, they can't honestly think I'm that stupid." Corey said.

"What's wrong, Corey?" Doug asked, looking at the bottle. Corey had gone to open the other present from Snape, which turned out to be a volume of _Conventional Antidotes and Antitoxins_, his suspicions confirmed.

"Looks like the Dabbler class is trying to get even for the other day. This is definitely not from Snape; he'd never give a student a potion outside of class, especially without saying what it does. Not to mention he'd never give anything with a note saying, 'To my best student for all your hard work, take it in good health."

Doug sat down beside Corey, peering over his shoulder between that note and the one that came with the book, which read: "Something for you to read in the days before class resumes. P.S. I'll know if you didn't read it. S. Snape."

"It's the same horrid handwriting."

"That's easy to sham, though, I'll teach you how sometime if you want," Corey said, then grabbed a small piece of paper from his pocket, writing a quick note. He then disturbed Cheshire, who was somewhat annoyed at having been picked up from his cozy nap near the hearth, and stuffed the note in a bottle around the cat's neck. "Go find Snape, Cheshire."

"Corey, don't forget what time it is," Doug said.

"I know, that's why I'm sending Cheshire to do it," Corey said with a grin as he let the cat out the door. He took a moment to open his other two books, the first being _Oliver Twist_ (with a thoughtful inscription by Craw) and _Impractical Spells for Practical Jokes_ (which Corey had no doubt would come in handy in the days ahead.) "I'm going to head down to the lab, Doug, I'll meet you at breakfast."

"Can I borrow your box thing while you're gone?" Doug asked brightly.

"If you can figure out how to make it work in this castle, sure," Corey smirked before shoving all but the potion and the note under the tree. He then went up and threw on some clothes just as the rest of the students started to stir, and headed out of the doors and down the back stairs.

Cheshire caught up with him on the last stair, and Corey paused to get out a small note from the bottle, picking the cat up and scratching his neck affectionately as he entered the potion class room, handing him a couple cat treats from his pocket. It wasn't long after Cheshire decided to curl up on a desk that Snape appeared and knocked him off.

"No familiars with hair or feathers in the lab. You don't want to know what happened the last time cat hair got into a Dreizalfang potion." Ruffled and annoyed, Cheshire skulked out of the room. Severus frowned at Corey and held his hand out. Corey handed over the potion and note. Reading the note, her grimaced at it. "I definitely would not say that."

"That's what I said," Corey smirked, and followed Snape to the office door. He waited a moment until he was given the all clear and then came in.

"Does anyone else know about this?" Snape asked, taking it over to his desk. He then got what looked like a large crystal fishbowl off the shelf, and took out a small cloth, and set it and the potion in it and the crystal over it.

"Yes, Doug Brim. Nobody else was up yet," Corey explained. "What are you doing?"

"The crystal will protect us in case the formula is triggered by opening the stopper. The cloth is there to take a sample in case it's gaseous. Now stand back," Snape ordered. Corey, who hadn't even thought of the possibility of it being gaseous, did as he was told. They had only covered balms and drinkable ones so far in both of his potion classes. Snape then took out his wand and pointed it at the bottle, and the stopper popped out. A sudden puff of dark green smoke emerged, followed by dozens of tiny black snakes that wriggled quickly out of the phial looking for something to attack. They struck out at the glass, bearing tiny fangs, before sinking into a puddle of noxious green and swirling black liquid. "Common Slither Potion," Snape said matter-of-factly, putting away his wand, "how unusually unoriginal of them. It wouldn't kill you, but if they had bit you, you would have gotten violently ill for awhile."

"Slither Potion. Sounds to me as if they went out of their way to being obvious, hoping to either scare me or get me to retaliate," Corey said.

"You are not to retaliate, regardless," Snape said firmly, looking over at him. "If you want to catch them at their game, you need to remain blameless. Bad enough the way you've all ready messed things up. Now, I want you to tell Brim to keep quiet, and act as if you hadn't received out of the ordinary. When they start poking around to find out what happened to it, maybe I can find a way to catch them without them knowing you came to me about this."

"Yes, sir," Corey said. It was going to kill him to resist the urge not to try and get even, but he didn't want to go against Snape, either.

"Good, now get back to your rooms before it gets any later," Snape said. Corey nodded, then headed out of the lab, taking the stairs two at a time as he headed up to the houserooms. Had he looked back, he might have noticed two figures, Crabbe and Amadeus Longbottom, standing just behind the stairwell, glancing at each other as they watched him head up from the dungeons.

After the boy left, Severus Snape turned back to the potion, putting on his gloves as he removed the crystal, taking out the cloth and putting it in a glass jar as he cleaned up the rest, looking at the bottle and stopper thoughtfully. It wasn't one of theirs, and it didn't look like one from Hogsmeade or Diagon either. He scanned the surface thoughtfully, and reached to the shelf for some dusting powder. There was a brisk knock and Jennifer walked in, a new flowing cloak over her shoulders, looking somewhat exasperated.

"You can't honestly be working today! Good grief, it's Christmas, don't you ever take a break?" she asked, folding her arms accusingly.

"I had an emergency potion to attend to this morning, you know how things are around here," Severus said, carefully putting the bottle and stopper in one of his desk drawers along with the jar, locking it. "I see you got your cloak. Have you figured out how it works yet?"

"You mean how you've got this arsenal set up?" Jennifer chuckled, flipping over a corner of her cloak. Small, custom made pockets held three rows of one-dose phials, hidden from normal view and magically protected against breakage.

"No, those I had customized. Come over here a moment," Severus said, turning around behind him where a large black and brass chest sat. Jennifer had always assumed it was just the locker he kept things in over the summer, although she had never seen him get inside it. Now, in her room, she had one quite similar in size, although a bit more ornate. It was upon it she had found the cloak when she woke up that morning in the midst of her presents. Carefully he followed a complicated series of magical locks that were on the chest and opened it, allowing her to look in. Suddenly she grinned in understanding. Candles, rope, empty phials, cloth, extra gloves, magical tools of every sort, notebooks, pens, and useful enchanted items filled the chest, even emergency food, water, and other supplies were carefully packed inside. As she watched, the rope disappeared and Severus brought it out of his pocket, and when he put it back in it reappeared where it was before neatly packed in the trunk.

"Now I understand how you always end up prepared for everything! And here I've been stuffing my pockets every time I go out with potions and wondering how you manage to do it," Jennifer chuckled.

"Well, unfortunately the potions don't seem to travel through pockets very well and after a few…disagreeable incidents, I worked out the system I have now, but don't worry. I'm sure you'll quickly get to the point where you can pull out the right potion as quickly as I can," he assured her, closing the chest.

"So how do I get the pockets to work? They feel like normal pockets to me," Jennifer asked.

"Well, first there as to be something in the chest to take out," Severus said amusedly.

"Oh."

"Fortunately, it's quite possible there is something in the chest upstairs, did you look?" Severus asked.

"No, I was too busy trying to find out what you were doing here in your office," Jennifer said.

"Well, all you need to do is think of the object you want an put your hand in your pocket, and you'll find it there. Try thinking about a burgundy velvet box and see if you can get it," Severus suggested.

Jennifer gave him a thoughtful glance and then reached in her pocket, taking out the long narrow box and opening it. Inside was a fine silver cloak pin adorned white and black diamonds between carefully etched family crests, and a large, breathtakingly detailed barrette of their two family crests between a dove and raven in flight, held by a silver pin made to look like her heirloom dagger. She stared at them for so long that he began to get impatient.

"What's wrong, don't you like them?" he finally asked, frowning.

"Of course! They're gorgeous! Just a little overwhelmed. These aren't from Myrkinbrek, are they?" Jennifer asked suspiciously.

Jennifer had never personally gone to the goblin town since she was a child, although she had of course heard many tales of the merchants that resided there. One thing was certain; it didn't come from London.

"Of course they are. I had to have them custom made, and the barrette custom charmed, I certainly wasn't going to trust anything less," he said calmly, taking out the pin and gently fastening it to the top of her cloak. "You're too easily overwhelmed. We need to work on that," he decided.

"What am I, your fiancée, or your personal side project?" Jennifer demanded, putting her hand on her hips. He was saved from replying by a knock at the door and Jennifer sighed, taking a moment to put her barrette in her hair. As he opened the door, Minerva came in.

"Good, glad to see you are both up and wide awake. Dumbledore got called away on urgent business overnight, and I need both of you out to look over things on the Quidditch Pitch and in the courtyard as soon as possible. There's some concern about safety today so anything happens…anything at all out of the ordinary…you are to get everyone inside immediately. I hope you got plenty of sleep because it's bound to be a long day. Excuse me, I need to take care of a few security measures," she said, quickly heading out. Severus looked after her with a deep concerned frown.

"All right, what is she not saying?" he asked.

"There was an attack of some sort last night involving Voldemort, Muggles, and, if I read her right, some student families," Jennifer said slowly, watching Severus' face darken, staring at her. "That's all I got, she left too quickly."

"We had better get out there," Severus muttered, grabbing his cloak. He paused by the shelf, threw her a potion and took one for himself on the way out the door.

Corey didn't stay in the houserooms when he got back. Instead, he quickly pulled Doug away from the students bragging over gifts and sent Cheshire with a note to Taylor. Grabbing his mittens and the sickles within, he headed down towards the courtyard. Taylor soon joined them, one of his new books in hand as they headed down to the tables.

"I figured we could eat out here so we could sit with you, Taylor. I got something to tell you about. My treat, Mum gave me some money for Christmas," Corey explained. Rosmerta was not at the bar that morning. Instead, a wiry-looking oddly dressed goblin was there. Corey got them a tray of meat rolls and hot chocolate and headed out to a table. He then took a few moments to update Taylor and Doug on what had happened that morning. Doug quickly suggested they find a way to retaliate without it looking like it was them, where Taylor quickly argued back that he really didn't want to get on Snape's bad side if they did get caught. Corey just propped his head up in his hand and shook his head.

"Taylor's right. I'm not going to get on his bad side either, although I have to admit if something did come up where we could safely do Doug's plan, I wouldn't object," Corey grinned.

"Look sharp, Corey," Taylor warned. He nodded to the other side of the area where Malfoy and Patil were sitting. Apparently Malfoy hadn't noticed them yet, talking instead to his girlfriend. Sitting a few tables away, however, was Amadeus and Crabbe, and they had noticed them. In fact, they were staring threateningly over at them. Corey looked over at Doug and Taylor.

"All right, I'm going to go over there."

"What?" Doug said.

"Are you insane, after that potion fiasco? They'll have your head," Taylor hissed.

"They still don't know for sure that I rigged that. And I haven't spoke to them since they got out yesterday to even 'apologize' for my 'mistake.'" Corey said, getting up.

"They're not going to buy it. They were only using you to begin with. They won't have any reservations about giving you trouble over this," Doug said. But Corey had already made his mind up. They watched him suspiciously as he approached, glancing at each other and back at him as he reached the table and sat down.

"I just wanted to come over and apologize for our potions running out like that and us getting caught and all, and I'm willing to make it up to you. Not quite sure how, yet, but I'm sure we can work out some arrangement," Corey said in a low voice, trying to sound sincere.

"What do you mean _us_ getting caught? I didn't see your muddy face in detention," Amadeus squinted at him.

"When it started to wear off, I ran into the school to try and get to my clothes and Professor Snape caught me. He couldn't prove I was outside so he just confined me to the houserooms until Christmas Eve," Corey explained quickly. "And he told me to stay away from you, but I wasn't about to do that. I know I messed up, and I'm the sort that owns up to my mistakes." Corey waited calmly as Amadeus leaned over and whispered to Crabbe. Crabbe then went over and whispered to Malfoy, who looked over at Corey with a frown before he suddenly smiled thinly and whispered back to Crabbe. Parvati looked over at Corey too, and then back at Malfoy. What exactly did she see in him? Corey just couldn't figure that one out. As Crabbe came back over, Parvati's eyes followed him back to the table, looking at Corey with some concern. Malfoy then said something to her that regained her attention, and she smiled timidly at him. Crabbe, who had taken a moment to whisper to Amadeus before setting down, smiled broadly at Corey.

"Well, it sounds like you've bought yourself another chance to redeem yourself, Mr. Willowby. Meet us at the Quidditch Pitch at a quarter to noon inside the Slytherin gate. Malfoy will speak with you there about redemption," Amadeus smiled at him. Corey nodded and got up, walking back over to Taylor and Doug.

"So?" Doug said impatiently when Corey sat down and started sipping his chocolate.

"So, they didn't say anything about the potion. They didn't even ask," Corey said thoughtfully. "I might need your help with something later, but I don't know how things are going to end up going," he admitted.

"Whatever it is you can count on us," Taylor assured him.

They finished eating and after a last quick run on the rides headed back inside. All the merchants had closed down early last evening, and some of the tents had even left as their owners went home for a quiet Christmas. Even still, the courtyard was already bustling with students as the three headed inside to plan some defense in case Corey was walking into a trap. Taylor had suggested they check Corey's new book for possible usefulness, and went to the library to work out strategy. After some deep discussion, they headed on out towards the Quidditch Pitch.

There was an unusual tension in the air that Corey couldn't help but notice, and some sort of strange sense of dread, as if something was definitely wrong. Still, everything looked as it had before, and everyone was about their daily mischief as usual. But at the same time, the staff seemed unusually tense. Madame Hooch, coming back from an early lunch, seemed very preoccupied, and belatedly greeted a group of students as if something was heavily weighing on her. When they followed her out, she took an expected turn towards the storage area, looking around at the pitch itself with a thoughtful eye.

"Is it just me, or is there something not quite…right?" Corey asked as they came to the edge of the field. He looked over the different broom games…a snow hill, a flag gathering course, a racing course, and several different games had been set up specially designed for flyers. It was the first time Corey had bothered to come out to the Pitch since the festival had begun, and now he suddenly wished he had his own broom.

"I think everything looks smashing! I wonder is it too late to borrow a broom?" Doug said, looking around.

"I'm quite sure all the school brooms have been checked out all ready," Taylor said. "You had all week, you know. Look, Corey, if you don't think things feel right, perhaps you ought to back out of this 'talk.' Come on, they just tried to hit you with a potion that would have put you down for the rest of the day, they aren't planning to be friendly."

"Don't worry about me. They can't do anything to me I can't use against them," Corey said. "You both just go cover. I'm going to head on in."

As Corey walked past the lower stands where students began to gather, others soared above to try and get used to their new brooms before the games started. He wondered what the odds were that he could talk his parents into getting him a broom next year. Knowing his mum, she'd make him do a couple summers of extra chores first before allowing him to get one. It was as he thought about that he had the curious sensation again that something wasn't quite right, something that didn't fit into words. But at the same time, he knew it wasn't caused by any fear of Malfoy. He didn't fear any of the Slytherin, and definitely not that egotistical bully. Doug had slipped up into one of the boxes as Taylor took to the lower stands next to the Slytherin gate. Corey then approached it alone, slipping in the side door and into the entrance area. He seemed to be the only one there so far, and yet he suspected that wasn't the case at all. Rather, they were probably hanging back to make sure he was alone.

Doug climbed the countless stairs to the Slytherin box, which was positioned to have a good view of the gate and south side rings. Snow covered the seats and floor, undisturbed until his presence there, being otherwise empty. It was just as well, for Doug didn't need to make up any explanations as to why he had decided to sit up there by himself. From here, he could also barely make out Taylor, sitting alone away from a crowd of students showing off each other's brooms. He wasn't watching the Pitch; rather he was looking back between the stands. All they could do now, Doug knew, was wait. Sighing softly, he leaned against the rail, wondering if Corey was all right. He hadn't heard the footsteps behind him.

In the entrance Corey was beginning to wonder if Malfoy had ever had any intention of showing up at all when shadows appeared in the dim light, and he turned to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, Longbottom, Bowyer and Casper, the very five whom he'd so intentionally accidentally set up. But Corey was far from worried. He waved at them warmly as they approached, walking closer.

"So, you actually showed up," Draco said thoughtfully, studying him.

"Well of course I showed up," Corey said with a puzzled expression on his face. "Why wouldn't I? Besides, I got something for you," he said, taking out a phial and handing it out. Crabbe stepped up and took it, looked at it, then handed it to Malfoy. "It's the dragon shell powder you wanted. Sorry I couldn't get it to you earlier. but I was under houseroom arrest. I think Snape's getting suspicious; he's been keeping a close eye on me. I don't think he's figured out who's putting Rasputin to sleep, though."

"Oh, really," Draco said. "I think, Willowby, that it's time you told us what's really going on between you and the recreant," he said as the rest of the boys circled around him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Corey said, his face displaying only confusion.

"What I'm talking about is, I know why you're in the Dabbler class. You're his little mole. Why else would he let a Muggleborn in his class if he didn't have to? He may be a traitor, but he's no mudlover, or he wouldn't be the head of Slytherin. He wouldn't even see his own sister until she got magic. So what does he offer you for being his little dirt digger, or are you too stupid to see he's just using you?" Draco said, staring down at Corey with a smirk on his face.

"What, you mean like you tried to use me? To gather your ingredients for you so you wouldn't get blamed? To put my grubby hands on everything so there would be little doubt it were me and not you and the brainless wonders you pay off? Besides, even a common Muggle sheep farmer knows what comes from too much inbreeding," Corey said, before looking pointedly at Crabbe. "I can see some have to learn that lesson the hard way." As Crabbe and Amadeus came forward, Draco told them to wait.

"Hold him, but don't hurt him, let's not leave any marks. Now that we're starting to hear the truth, it's time we heard the entire story, don't you think, Mr. Willowby?" Malfoy said, taking out a potion from his pocket. "I'm sure this Veritaserum will loosen your tongue," he smiled, nodding to the others.

In the stands, Taylor was getting nervous. He'd been in there way too long, and Taylor couldn't help but feel as every second went by, that this was a very bad idea. He was a scholar, not a fighter. How come he went and mixed himself up with these irritatingly troublesome Gryffindors? But Corey was admittedly the most brilliant person he had ever met his own age and was his best friend, even with his shortcomings. He was not about to let him face off Malfoy on his own. As the competitors started to gather on the

pitch and the spectators were getting settled Taylor scurried down towards the side door, hoping he had the nerve to face them if it came to that. He suddenly wondered if Doug had seen him from where he was keeping point in the box above. Surely he'd come down and back him up if he noticed Taylor was gone. As he opened the door and peered up, he saw a group of mostly older students, chuckling and holding another student down both physically and with spell, and Taylor had little doubt who.

"Get away from him!" Taylor shouted pulling out his wand and pointing it at them, trying to keep it from shaking. "_Windgardium Leviosa_!" Crabbe's robe suddenly flew up and over his head as the other four turned to face their new adversary. Corey was coughing loudly and struggling to look around as he lay on the floor, bound by a web of light, unable to gesture.

"Taylor, help me! Don't get a professor!" Corey yelled, and then cried out in alarm. "Why, you! Draco you are going to get a reward for this, I'm going to let you forget how much of a honest compassionate man of honor you are and how much I really adore you!" Corey snapped, looking positively furious.

"You heard him, Brittle, help him!" Draco sniggered. "Why Willowby, I never knew you cared." Brittle knew there was no way he could take on so many. Hoping Corey would be all right, Taylor turned tail and ran out the door dashing out to try and get help.

"Don't just stand there, get him!" Draco ordered, and the other four (Crabbe struggling to keep his robe down) ran after him, leaving Draco and Corey alone. Draco turned and released the spells from Corey, taking a step back. "It's just us, now, Willowby. You want revenge? Now's your chance. Personally, I plan to wipe the floor with you."

"You'll get away with this," Corey said irritated, "I'm going to fight you."

"Yes, you are. It'd be a pity if anything happened to Craw's little toy Muggle, wouldn't it? The only reason you got into this school was to save her neck, you know. Pretty funny, if you think about it. A purist got you into this school, a purist used you to try and get to me, and I am going to put you in your place, once in for all. I think it's time for you to eat dirt, Mudblood. _Vermis transformare_!"

But Corey, now free of the bonds, rolled out of the way, and held up an open hand, fingers slightly curled towards Malfoy.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Corey said, blasting Malfoy's wand out of his hand. "You remembered something really trivial, didn't you, Malfoy? _Pig transformare_!" he cast as Malfoy tried to roll for his wand. But before he made it to the floor he took on a strange, pink appearance, growing a curly tail and large snout as he hit the floor, his hooves slipping a bit on the finished surface, squealing in anger. Corey smiled at the pig with extreme satisfaction, then cast a spell he had just learned that morning, _Grafittus,_ pointing his finger at Draco and scribbling the words "Racist Pig" on his side. Recovering his balance, Draco barreled towards the gate and it flung open under the pressure as he ran onto the field and straight towards Madame Hooch. But before Corey could retreat, she had spotted him, calling his name and telling him to report as she looked at the pig with obvious annoyance. The students that gathered around her were chuckling and grinning at the pig, and most of them were whispering to each other, shutting up quickly whenever Hooch's yellow eyes glared at them.

"Mr. Willowby! Explain this at once!"

"I started it, he said…I mean…yes…I was fighting!" Corey said, struggling and covering his mouth. "You understand, that's right. I took some Veritaserum potion! Yes…no….Malfoy he…." Corey stopped short, realizing that this wasn't working. He knew very well it hadn't been Veritaserum. It was some sort of lying potion, and he couldn't have any control over it.

"Well, this sort of behavior is totally unacceptable and will be dealt with at once! The both of you! Come along," Madame Hooch said angrily.

"Yes, let's," Corey flailed in frustration, but then he was quite relieved to find she had stopped when another professor neared. It was Snape, and he looked anything but happy.

"What's going on? Anything I can help you with?" Snape asked Hooch, frowning at the boy and the pig.

"I haven't quite found out yet. Only that the pig is apparently, Mr. Malfoy and apparently Corey and he were fighting."

"I was fighting, I wasn't defending! He didn't do anything to me! That is, no wait…that's true…" Corey sighed, and then got an idea. "My name is Draco Malfoy and that's Corey Willowby and I gave him a potion!" Corey explained frantically, as the Professors gave him a strange look. "A Veritaserum potion," he added, hoping they'd catch on. Snape squinted at him thoughtfully for a moment, his scowl deepening as he reached into his cloak and pulled out a phial, handing it to Corey.

"Drink that, and keep quiet," Snape snapped. "I don't want to hear any more of your lies. I can take care of this, Madame Hooch. There's no reason for the games to be held up because these two can't be civil to each other."

"Right," Madame Hooch agreed, and turned back to the others, telling them to back off and mind their own business. Snape then took out another phial and fed it to the pig. After a few moments he squealed loudly and turned back into Draco Malfoy, ready to murder. A burst of laughter rang out from around him as the students (who had suspected who it was all along) caught sight of him, watching as Snape grabbed hold of his arm and got him to his feet, slightly shoving both boys in front of him and towards the school, telling Malfoy he didn't want to hear another snort out of him either. Taylor and Doug, apparently all in one piece and safe from harm, were standing at the bottom of the gate giving him a sympathetic look. Well, at least Corey saw they were both in one piece, although he wasn't quite sure why. And where were the other four Slytherin? Corey had little doubt that Malfoy was wondering the same thing.

They were herded quickly into Snape's office, Draco looking defiant and slightly indignant, his eyes like stabbing daggers toward Corey, who tried to look calm in spite of his nervousness. He was keenly aware that he'd broken his promise to Snape not to retaliate, and was more worried over that than any punishment they might be in for.

"I've had quite enough of both of your actions lately," he snarled after slamming the door and going to stand in front of his desk "I told you both to stay away from each other. Apparently the two of you are incapable of heeding a direct warning. Such behavior in this school is not tolerated for any reason. Not only have you broke several school rules, but you also broke one of the Sparring Club rules, so you are now both officially banned from it…"

"What? But, I didn't cast a spell on him! He cast it on me! In fact, he also cast the disarm spell before he turned me into a pig!" Malfoy protested.

"I only did it after you tried to turn me into a worm," Corey said.

"Be silent! Malfoy, are you telling me that you, one of the top sparrers in this school, allowed this wet-eared first year Gryffindor to get off two spells on you and you hadn't even cast one back?" he asked. Malfoy paused guardedly, then nodded.

"Yes, he used his mutant ability on me! He never even pulled a wand… he just hit me. I was surprised." Malfoy said.

"And he cast the disarm spell first?" Snape asked.

"Yes, he did."

"Then you must have had a wand pulled out, or he wouldn't have bothered, would he?" Snape asked, staring thoughtfully at him. Malfoy suddenly decided to keep his mouth clamped.

"I am also going to ask McGonagall to remove from my Dabbler class, Mr. Malfoy, for forcing Willowby to drink a Fibberous Potion before this incident broke out. I had a chance to speak with Brittle, Crabbe, and Longbottom just moments before I caught up with you and was able to acquire enough reliable information to figure out just why I was missing certain ingredients out of the lab that I couldn't account for."

"You can't prove anything! Besides, I can afford my own apothecary if I wanted let alone my own ingredients," Draco protested.

"In any case, Mr. Malfoy, the class is for responsible, serious potion students, and you have proven to me lately that you are neither. As for points…" Snape was interrupted by a sound…the Hogwarts bell, Corey quickly realized, pondering. Why was it ringing now? He had heard the sound many times, but for some reason this time it sounded different…alarming, in a way he couldn't explain. "Get to your dorm rooms immediately, and stay there," he snapped, hustling them out of the office. "I'll deal with you both later," he promised. He even went so far as the stairwell, making sure they both went in right direction, watching impatiently for a moment before turning around and dashing outside.

Jennifer had been wandering about the courtyard, watching the students as they got in their last chances for rides and walked over towards the Three Brooms, hoping to get one last Butterbeer. But then she spotted a strange glimmer in the sky…a large bird of a brilliant color. At first she thought it was Fawkes, but as the Phoenix got closer she realized it was a completely different one than she had never seen before. Her coat was more orange than red, and wasn't quite as large as the Headmaster's. It was crying out in such alarm that soon everyone else was looking up at it in surprise and dismay, and it was then that Rosmerta came out, noticing her immediately.

"Ember! Ember, what's wrong?" she asked as the Phoenix came down to her shoulder. Rosmerta then walked quickly over to the gate with a look of complete concern on her face. Jennifer followed close behind and saw black, billowing smoke rising beyond the hills. "Hogsmeade is being attacked! I must go home at once!" Rosmerta said, "Please let the other merchants know!" She ran out the gate until she was far enough to Disapparate, leaving Ember hovering in air. The Phoenix let out another shrill call of alarm before heading towards the smoke and was soon joined by another Phoenix catching up and flying beside her. Jennifer wasted no time raising her wand towards the towers. As the bell began to ring, she worked to quickly scramble the students inside, ordering them to return to their dorm rooms immediately. Filius helped her hustle them off rides and went to guard the gates as Jennifer worked to clear the courtyard. Before long Severus appeared, dashing down the steps to her side.

"What happened?"

"Hogsmeade is under attack. They're going to need help," Jennifer said curtly before turning and barking at a couple of students who were lagging behind. "How's the Quidditch Pitch?"

"I got called away. I'll go check now. Don't go anywhere," he ordered before leaving.

Jennifer frowned but didn't say anything, too busy trying to herd the last of the students inside. As she ushered the last few in she stopped to update Minerva who was standing at the door. Severus appeared again, coming over to meet them.

"It looks as if everyone is in but we hardly did a head count," he told Minerva.

"Minerva, please, it looks bad," Jennifer said, pleadingly. She felt partially responsible for whatever it was that was going on with so many of the merchants still at the school when it occurred.

"All right, both of you go. Filius, Rolanda and I can manage," Minerva said. She barely had the words out before Jennifer hurried out the gate, followed by Severus. Minerva sighed worriedly, wondering what else was going to go wrong. She didn't know if she had the strength to tell anyone what had happened the night before yet.


	24. Tidings of Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Four

Tidings of Darkness

Sirius Black paced the living room impatiently as Harry polished the handle of his new _Skymaster_ broom. Harry had been at the cottage since last night, when the pain from his scar forced him to admit something terrible was going on, determined to find out what. He kept seeing fire, and many people hurt, and not all in one place. Dumbledore, it seemed, was not in the castle. It wasn't long before he thought he'd better inform his godfather, and had found it quicker to head over there rather than to send Hedwig. Sirius then suggested that he stay, sending his colorful cockatoo out with messages. He read them quietly with a deepening frown. What it said he hadn't mentioned to Harry, which in itself was rather unusual, but did say that Dumbledore had also agreed that Harry should probably stay with Sirius for now.

There was a knock on the door, and Sirius turned from his pacing to open it. It was Anna, and she looked upset, and Sirius went outside to talk to her a moment before the two came in again, Sirius carrying what appeared to be a thin Muggle paper in his hand.

"How can they be expected to defend themselves when they don't even know what they're up against?" Anna demanded to know, looking angry. "You all can't keep lying to them, they're just sitting ducks out there!"

"Anna, I have no control over what the Council does and doesn't tell the Muggles about us," Sirius said back, "and even if I did, you must realize there are a lot of consequences on both sides if we came out and told them the truth. Besides the fact most of them wouldn't believe it, the ones that do believe it would be dangerous. You know what came of Witch Hunts. Many innocent people got killed because they weren't able to get away from their "punishment" like we were. Do you really want that to happen again?"

"They are getting slaughtered out there!" Anna yelled, clenching her fists. "And if no one else does something about it, I will!"

"No, Anna, wait, don't do anything impulsive! You're going to get in serious trouble!" Sirius said, grabbing her hand.

"Can someone please tell me what is going on?" Harry asked in a loud voice, hoping to be heard over their yelling.

"Several Muggle towns were attacked last night by wizards…" Anna told him

"Death Eaters," Sirius put in.

"Whatever, and they're trying to keep the truth from the Muggles about what happened!" Anna said.

"Can I see the paper?" Harry asked. Sirius hesitated a moment, then handed it over.

"Harry, I'm not supposed to be telling you about this yet. Dumbledore specifically asked me not to mention it to you or anybody else until he spoke with me again," Sirius admitted.

"Sirius, it's in the Times. People are going to find out," Anna said. Harry quickly read down the headlines_ Cult Terrorizes Countryside Creating Christmas Nightmare_, feeling terribly sick to his stomach. Dozens of families hurt, and several families murdered around five communities, hitting right after dinner on Christmas Eve when most were likely to be home. Each was hit within five minutes of each other by robed figures. The article even displayed contact information and a detailed description of the Dark Mark, so that anyone seeing it knew where to turn. It was then that Harry caught a familiar town name within the list and frowned at it…Haven's Bluff. Professor Craw's town was one of those hit! Harry then had a curious feeling then, as if somehow they had thought she'd have been home that night, planning, perhaps, to trap her…

"Sirius, are all these towns where professors live? I know one of them is," Harry said, breaking up Sirius and Anna's argument. "These seem to be fairly well calculated…he was going after the professors, wasn't he, hoping to get them separately so he could take them out away from Dumbledore and the school. I'm sure that's what he was doing." Harry looked up worriedly. "None of them got hurt, did they?"

"I don't know, Harry," Sirius admitted soberly. Anna grew quiet. "But let's respect Dumbledore's wishes and not mention it to anyone, even the professors." Harry glanced down at the paper again

"This has to end. If this keeps up we're just going to end up getting trapped for sure. We need to stop playing the defensive and try and launch our own attack," Harry said, glancing back up at them. "We're not going to get anywhere hiding, and it's obvious he's not going to let up this time."

"Harry, while I understand and partially agree with your sentiment…" Sirius stopped short and stared at Anna. Her skin had become like white marble, and her face was distant, a faint glow surfacing around her. Suddenly she Disapparated and Sirius leapt up in surprise. "Stay here, Harry," he said and then Disapparated behind her.

Harry was not about to stay. His scar was not hurting at the moment, but he knew something was going on. Anna only began to seem to glow in emergencies…rather like a Unicorn… as if their own wild magic was acting as a ward. Besides, he had a brand new broom to try out, and Hogwarts was close enough that there should be little danger of him heading back. As he lifted up over the mountains and towards the castle, he couldn't help but notice the dark clouds of smoke rising to the east. At first he thought that perhaps the Dark Forest was on fire, but as he got closer her could clearly see it was coming from beyond the hills. Veering around the castle, he coaxed the broom at a breakneck speed towards it certain that was where Anna had gone.

The closer he got, the more he felt a strange tugging fear but one that he had come to recognize very well. It was the dreadful feeling of a great number of Dementors in one place. So many, in fact, that he almost turned back to warn the school and get help, but just as something seemed to pull him back, there was some sort of force pulling him forward, as if coaxing him to continue. At last his urge to go on won out and he flew over the crest of the hill beyond Hogsmeade to see several things happening at once. A pair of two-headed Ettins stood in the streets trying to get inside one of the shops, standing above the carcasses of what might have been two giant fire hounds, now strangely grey and coal-like. A large group of wizards gathered along the hill to the shrieking shack where a great many of the Dementors had gathered while others lurked in the woods just below him.

It was then he noticed a brilliant flash of light in the distance, and as began to lean over on his broom to head there when a powerful burst of energy and a loud, unbearable, wailing sound sent waves of pain through his ears. He toppled forward on his broom and down into the trees, nearly losing his glasses in the process. It was a sound and power of which he had never felt before, but a familiar sound nonetheless. It was as he was attempting to remember where he heard it that he saw a figure standing on the hillside, wispy and ghost-like, nearly as tall as a giant with a beautiful, horrifying face turned to him, her eyes reflecting pure anger and hatred as she opened her mouth.

Harry knew better than to try and take on a banshee alone, quickly forming a small dome around himself. In the protection of the sonorous glass, no outside sound could touch him, but the effects he could readily see as he slid to the ground, wincing over his bruises acquired in his fall. The shield wouldn't follow him, he knew, so he was going to have to make a run for it. Taking a deep breath and hopping back on his broom, he cast the deafness spell on himself, then shot out of the shield, trying not to look back as he went racing towards the spot he had seen the light earlier. When it flashed again, he had no doubt that was where Anna was, standing with Sirius on the outskirts of town, keeping the Dementors at bay. Sirius suddenly noticed him and started shouting at him, but Harry couldn't hear him. Remembering the spell, he released himself from it.

"…before you get killed!" Sirius finished as Harry unstoppered his ears. But just then a small pack of Dementors tried to come up behind him, and Harry quickly cast his Patronus, the large white stag beating down towards them and chasing them away, threatening to spear one straight through with his prongs.

A loud crash sounded and the grounded started shaking as the two Ettins, apparently in the middle of a brawl, suddenly fell onto the divination shop, crushing half the shop as they went tumbling down and rolling over, still fighting. Sirius asked what that crash was, and Harry told them.

"Hope they saw it coming in time to get out," Sirius said as Anna began to chase after another group of Dementors. She was determined to destroy them all, determined that somehow she would have the strength to keep fighting them even though they were now in a number like nothing she had seen before. But Harry was more concerned at the moment about the other evil that was in the direction they were heading in.

"No, wait, there's a banshee up there! You can't go up there, she'll kill you!" Harry protested.

"You sure, Harry? Banshees went extinct over two hundred years ago! It's got to be something else," Sirius said with a frown.

"It is a banshee, trust me! Don't go up that hill. Professor Craw told us they used to be very territorial, and I think I already made her mad being up there all ready." Harry said.

"There are Dementors up there, I can feel it," Anna insisted.

"And there are still a ton over there," Sirius said, pointing towards the shack. "Come on, I say we trust Harry on this one and take care of the ones in town first, they're the ones that pose the most threat. Anna, turn back in a Unicorn and stay with Harry, you can protect him better that way." Anna did as she was told, but Harry gave him a strange look. He could have easily stayed on the broom and out of the way, how would he be safer with Anna? But the look that Sirius then passed him gave him the true answer…it wasn't Harry he was worried about. "Harry, stay with Anna, okay? Let's go see how bad it's going over there."

Along the base of the hill were a line of wizards fighting off the Dementors, and as they walked up they spotted Severus and Jennifer among them, dusty with plaster with singed hair, red faces and burned and frayed robes. Harry half expected both of them to start yelling and screaming about him being there, but apparently they were in no position to do either, for the Dementors were constantly on them. As they tried to hold them off, the other wizards and witches of the town joined, casting their own Patronuses on them. Lowering her head, Anna began to charge them, feeling a deep satisfaction as she picked them off and watched them disintegrate at the piercing of her horn while Harry cast his Patronus on the others. Sirius made his way up to Severus and Jennifer, blasting a Dementor that had somehow managed to get fairly close.

"Fancy meeting you here. What happened to you two?" Sirius said.

"Long story," Severus snapped, blasting another one with a spell. "We're going to be at this all night at this rate."

"Where are they all coming from? And why?" Jennifer asked in irritation. "Dementors, Ettins, and Fire Hounds, working together?"

"Banshee," Sirius added. Severus and Jennifer stared at him for a moment and Sirius had to shout a warning as another of the vile creatures came up.

"Banshee? No, it can't be they're extinct, and besides, banshees wouldn't work with a group, they're solitary." Jennifer said.

"Harry says he saw a banshee up on one of the hills, Jennifer, that's not something he'd make up stories about." Just then they were hit with another wave of Dementors and were kept busy for some time. Several of the wizards had to retreat, gratefully accepting pieces off a plateful of chocolate brick that the Honeydukes manager had brought.

"What's Potter doing here?" Severus snapped when they began gain ground.

"Don't knock it, right now we need all the fighters we can get," Sirius defended quickly, "And I asked him to look after Anna."

By the time the last of the Dementors began to retreat, the fires caused by the hounds had all come to an end, leaving only ashen snow and cindered stores in their wake, including the smoldering remains of the Hog's Head. The Ettins had been chained in place where they had been fighting and had fallen asleep, their snores disturbing the approaching evening. Wind began to pick up in the town, cold and wintry, cooling down the air heated by battle.

Jennifer stared at the lone shack as several of the others went in to make sure there were none hiding inside. Wordlessly Severus followed behind her, but Sirius, now having a chance to look around, began to wonder where Harry and Anna were for they were nowhere in sight. Turning into a dog, Sirius padded off to look for them.

Jennifer could sense a build up of fear around the place, and could understand why the Dementors seemed to be attracted by it. One thing was certain; she was getting quite tired of coming here to find it overrun. Why hadn't it been destroyed a long time ago? When she came to Hogsmeade the first time, a barrier had been placed around it, but it had since been taken down. As she turned to ask about it, she suddenly heard a howl and glanced over to see the moon beginning its ascent.

"Don't worry, he had his potion." Severus said quietly.

"Remus, yeah. But what about Pettigrew? We have no idea where he is." Jennifer pointed out.

"I'm sure if he were around here he would have materialized before now," Severus said.

"Severus, we just took down a pair of rare fire hounds, a pair of two-headed Ettins, and who knows how many Dementors, you can be sure they didn't come here of their own accord. I can't believe the Death Eaters didn't have something to do with this."

"And yet, strangely enough, not one in sight. I can't help wonder if this isn't some sort of diversion tactic to keep us from finding out where they really are." Severus said.

"Somehow I get the feeling there's a lot more to it than that," Jennifer said thoughtfully. "This is far from the first time the Dementors have been around here." There was a flash of light in the distance, and it didn't take long for Jennifer to realize it wasn't lightning. "Speaking of which, looks like they found some more," she said grimly. "I thought things like this weren't supposed to happen on Christmas," she muttered.

"I'll be sure to mention that to Voldemort next time I see him," Severus said grimly back to her as they Apparated closer to where they had last seen the light.

They were at the base of the hills, standing just outside a thicket, their wands ready for any trouble. But Jennifer was suddenly aware of something else, something that she found herself straining to hear. It was a voice, an angry voice. Before she could focus in on it, several shapes appeared and Severus barked at her to wake up as three Dementors descended on them, and they quickly spelled them off.

"I am getting really sick of those things," Jennifer muttered.

"You and I both. Let's move on. There can't be many left, and Titiana can't be too far," Severus said. But it wasn't two steps when Jennifer paused again, listening.

"Do you hear that?" Jennifer asked. Severus listened suspiciously for a while before he shook his head, glancing at her. She knew he thought she was getting a tad paranoid.

"All I hear is the wind."

"But it's not windy, not even a breeze," Jennifer pointing out. "Yet it seems to be getting louder. And there are words in it…" she said, pausing. "We shouldn't be on this hill. Something definitely doesn't want us up here."

"Well, we're certainly not leaving Titiana up here, especially with those two," Severus muttered, heading quickly forward, followed close behind by Jennifer. Suddenly the wail turned into a shriek, and Jennifer's heart leapt in her throat at the sound. There could be only one thing aside from her old wand, which had been destroyed, that could have made that noise. And unlike her wand it was more than a shriek. Jennifer heard an odd, screaming tone in return, as if challenging the first. It made the shriek pause a moment, and Jennifer burst through the brush to finally see Sirius, Harry, and Anna just as Harry cast the sonorous shield around them. The dark fae was much larger than she would have ever imagined, and much more powerful, making her aware that the wand and spell had been a very poor reflection of the creature it was meant to imitate. She knew without a doubt she was in for a fight, and was quite certain she was the one who had to do it. She took a moment to point her wand at Severus and put the sonorous shield around him, watching his expression change as he yelled soundlessly at her.

The banshee noticed the new arrivals and focused her attention on Jennifer, bursting into another wailing shriek. But Jennifer had already turned back to her, and at the same time she had been able to cast the Shrieking Death spell, meeting the wail with all the power she could muster, the deadly sound waves crossing and splitting in different directions as they crossed each other, canceling out some of the ear-wrenching effects.

_Be gone! Be gone! Only death awaits you! _Jennifer somehow knew that was what she was saying, although she couldn't explain how she knew. It was an eerie sensation, one of deep foreboding, but Jennifer was in no position for it to get to her.

"Be gone yourself! You have no place here! Return to your own lands!" Jennifer said back, hearing the tones of her spell change as she spoke, wondering if somehow it was getting through.

_This is my home. This is your place of death. Shall I call you to it now? It is not long in coming in any case. You are doomed, daughter of Craw, blood of Ravenclaw. You hear me and understand me so death is your fate, _the wailing proclaimed, growing so much in power that Jennifer began to be afraid that she couldn't hold it any longer. She was going to have to do something, and do it quickly. It was then she felt something around her, and the stress began to ease, and she felt more clear-headed. She quickly risked casting the resonius spell on herself, amplifying her voice as a brilliant light flashed around her, and she concentrated back on the shrieking death spell.

"I am a Craw and no slave to fate! Depart or perish! Those who foretell death only bring about their own!" Jennifer shouted, her words amplifying the spell ten times what it was, the pulses breaking down the sound waves as the land trembled around them. The banshee, no match for the extra burst staggered back in surprise, then suddenly screeched in a different tone, turning about and fleeing up the hill, the screech continuing as it began to fade back into a sound resembling the howling wind.

Jennifer slid to her knees, attempting to ignore the words she was hearing as she released the spells on herself and tried to catch her breath. Had she not taken a Wakeful Dose that morning she was pretty sure she'd have collapsed from the encounter, but as it was, although she was tired, she found she was still fairly alert. Severus was soon by her side, asking if she were alright and helping her up, insisting they get out of there. Beside them, Sirius was sitting, supporting Anna, who seemed to be just waking up from a dazed state with Harry sitting on the other side of her glancing at Jennifer thoughtfully.

"We need to get out of here, just in case she comes back," Jennifer said, aware that her voice sounded a tad shaky. "I doubt she will, but we shouldn't risk it. I don't think I could do that again any time soon. We need to warn Hogsmeade about her being up here."

"Let's go to the Three Brooms and see Rosmerta. I don't think it was hurt in the attack," Sirius suggested. Agreeing quickly, the five descended the hill.

The Inn was filled with locals, some of them with bandages and burns, most of them looking unusually sober as they spoke of that night's events. Rosmerta was busy speaking to Patrick Dougan and Ederick Thurspire from the Ministry, and Jennifer was suddenly irritated. Two deputies investigating an attack of this size? Didn't the Ministry care more than that? Jennifer walked straight up to the group followed by Severus. Sirius sighed softly, suggesting to Anna and Harry they find empty table until they were done. Seeing the two coming forward, Rosmerta paused in her conversation long enough to greet them.

"Thank you for coming to our aid, Professors," Rosmerta said. "Had you not figured out how to defeat the hounds and the Ettins, we'd have lost most of the town, I believe."

"I will send the Magical Creatures Minister out here as soon as I can," Ederick assured Rosmerta. "And I will definitely add your comments to my report to Ministers Brown and Weasley."

"I want to know why neither of them are here right now," Jennifer said with a frown. "This town just had to defend itself against a small army of Dementors and not one of the _real_ Ministers came to investigate. When I point my wand at a person it seems like half a dozen Ministry guards show up to find out what I'm doing," she added in annoyance. Ederick turned to stare at her.

"It might interest you to know that this was not the only place that got attacked tonight, and considering that this is a non-Muggle area, we knew that they could hold their own. Over the past two nights, there have been nine different attacks, and this, by the way, is the only one where no one got killed." Ederick said.

"Probably because no one from the Ministry came to 'help.'" Severus suggested. Ederick glared at him.

"All right, all right, I know this is a terrible situation but we really need to not let our tempers flare because of it," Rosmerta suggested firmly. "Professors, why don't you go over and join your friends? I'll be over in a minute."

"Yes, please let Anna know I'll be over to say hello in a moment as well," Ederick said, "I need to speak with her about something." Jennifer and Severus glowered at him for a moment before heading over to the table where the others were sitting. Neither of them mentioned Ederick. Instead, they used the time to get caught up on what had been happening with each other.

"The townsfolk had been trying to use water spells to fight off the fire hounds," Jennifer explained to Harry, Sirius, and Anna. "But what ended up happening was the water was turning the steam and people kept getting burnt. Ice turned to steam even faster, unfortunately, so that only made things worse. I knew the only way to stop them was to suffocate them with the Life Deprivation Curse, one of the death spells," Jennifer sighed. "I really didn't have much choice, they had to be stopped. That's when the Ettins got angry at me, but we ran into a building just before they hit it trying to get at us. Ettins are resistant to spells, so at first, none of us inside knew what to do. But then Severus was able to use a voice throw potion on himself and headed up to the second floor and got the heads fighting among themselves, and pretty soon, the two Ettins started fighting each other. Once they had fallen everyone was able to cast chains to anchor them down."

"Pity they fell on the divination shop," Severus smirked.

"Thurspire says this was only one of nine attacks that's happened the last two days. What exactly is it that they're trying to do anyhow?" Jennifer asked.

"To frighten people into submission," Sirius said grimly, "and to taunt his worse enemies and separate them in different directions so he can try to pick them off."

"Yes, divide and conquer, as it were," Severus said with a grim nod. "And from what Thurspire said it seems to be working to some degree, the Ministry's resources are stretched. They're having a council meeting tomorrow, perhaps now they'll finally listen to reason now that things have gotten totally out of control."

"Typical, politicians never want to do anything until it's too late," Anna muttered. She looked up to see Ederick coming forward. Hesitating only momentarily, she smiled and excused herself, walking over to the bar with him. Harry and Jennifer couldn't help but notice Sirius and Severus both glaring at them.

"Oh come on, guys. I'm sure she has more sense than to actually like someone like that," Jennifer reassured them. Severus noticed Sirius watching her and squinted at him. Sirius matched the look mockingly.

"Ah, here you are," Rosmerta smiled at them tiredly, setting down a tray of drinks and sitting beside them. "The colored glass one is for Anna, don't get them mixed up. So what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"We ran into something near on the hills near the edge of the forest, although you might not believe it," Jennifer warned her. "A banshee." Jennifer had been expecting a shocked or surprised look, but it never came. Rather, it was a look of slight annoyance.

"Don't tell me all this ruckus woke her up," Rosmerta said, shaking her head. "That's all we need right now."

"You knew there was a banshee?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yes, she's been there ever since I can remember. Of course, normally, she's asleep and not much of a problem, but she guards that side of the Dark Forest, not much can pass by there without her knowing about it. She wasn't sent by Voldemort, that's for certain. You say you faced her? Quite impressive." Rosmerta said.

"I'm a Craw," Jennifer shrugged, "and Anna, if I'm not mistaken, was shielding me for awhile there." Severus glanced over at Jennifer thoughtfully. "I was able to then relax my defense enough so that I could concentrate on an attack."

"Very interesting," Rosmerta said, her eyes sparkling. "I'm glad you are all safe. But if you don't mind my saying so, I suggest perhaps you should all think about getting some rest. We may have now entered a lull, but if I'm not mistaken, things are far from over. I'll let Anna know you're about ready to leave," she added, as she got up with a warm smile and left the table.

"I'll make sure Anna and Harry get back, if you both want to go ahead," Sirius suggested. "I'm sure Minerva will want a report of the situation out here."

"I think that's a good idea," Jennifer said before Severus could say anything. "You know, I haven't even had time to give you your Christmas present yet? It's still in my room."

"I haven't had time to look at any of them," Severus shrugged it off.

"Well, that explains why you're still talking to me then," Sirius said cheerfully. Severus squinted at him.

* * *

Fawkes had already returned to his perch when Dumbledore arrived back at his study, a thin, weary smile appearing on his face as he entered, Minerva close behind him.

"There, Minerva, come see. Fawkes would not be here if Ember was still in distress. I'm sure that Jennifer and Severus are not far behind," Dumbledore assured her before sitting tiredly behind his desk, a sad, thoughtful expression on his face. "When they return, I think I should go ahead and speak with them. I would rather that they heard it from me."

"Oh, Albus," Minerva sighed, sitting down in exhaustion and grief. "What terrible times we live in! Jennifer knew them too, didn't she?"

"Yes, I believe so, the father at least, I'm quite sure of," Dumbledore nodded.

"She is going to take this hard," Minerva said.

"Of that I have little doubt, which is one of the reasons I think it should come from me." Dumbledore said. Fawkes suddenly stretched and looked over at Dumbledore, who suddenly stopped to open a drawer to his desk, glancing inside of it and then shutting it.

"They're back, Minerva, heading to your office, I believe."

"I will go get them," Minerva.

They had just stepped into the hall when she caught up with the pair, looking quite worse for the wear at the moment with torn and crumpled robes and smelling of smoke, but neither of them seemed to care or be even a bit aware of it. Without hesitation they followed her back up to the Headmaster's Study, both of them relaxing slightly at the mention that Dumbledore was back in the school.

Jennifer couldn't help but notice that Minerva as well seemed strained as she walked ahead of them to the office, glancing every now and then down the quiet stairwell. All the students had long been sent to their rooms and the hallways seemed hauntingly dead, somber, and dim, even though it was hardly late at all.

It was when they entered the office that Jennifer soon knew something was wrong. Dumbledore had pointedly asked Minerva to let Jennifer have the high backed chair, which had always made her feel more comfortable, and when she looked at his face, she found she couldn't read it at all. He seemed weary and sad, although he smiled at them gently when they entered, asking about what had occurred at Hogsmeade. Severus told most of it up to the point they met up with the banshee (something Dumbledore seemed genuinely surprised about, especially on hearing that Rosmerta had known about it,) and Jennifer took over, explaining something of what she had heard from the creature. Dumbledore looked at her with deep concern when he heard of the prediction, as did Severus, whom she had not mentioned it to before.

"I'm sure she was just trying to scare me off the hill since she couldn't kill me," Jennifer said, shrugging it off. "I think it might have intimidated her that I understood her as well. But then, after owning that cursed wand as long as I had and being a Craw, it really didn't surprise me too awful much when it happened."

"Yes, perhaps you are right," Dumbledore said quickly, hoping to himself as well that that was the explanation. "Even so, you should probably stay well away from that area if you can at all help it."

"Believe me, the last thing I want to run into right now is that banshee again. I admit I had no idea how powerful they were. That one, at least, had a lot of power to command," Jennifer said, feeling tired just thinking about it.

"Professor, Rosmerta and Thurspire said that there had been several other attacks?" Severus prompted.

"Yes, there were," Dumbledore sighed, standing up and walking in front of his desk. "I myself had been called out the night before because a pair of sirens and a large band of sea trolls had actually laid siege to Azkaban, more of a menace than a real threat," he assured Jennifer when she started, "but by the time Arthur and I had the sirens silenced and trolls dealt with, we learned that there had been more serious attack in London, inside and just outside of Diagon Alley. It was chaos by the time we got there, buildings ablaze, petrified locals telling of a large group of Death Eaters ransacking the shops and the pub…fortunately, since most of the shops were closed for the holiday, not many were around in the alley itself. Madame Malkin I hear was injured, but is recovering…I'm afraid that Pax Exeter wasn't as lucky," he said quietly, glancing up at Severus' stony face. "There wasn't much left of him or the apothecary once anyone had gotten there. There had been some sort of explosion, no doubt on purpose," Dumbledore sighed. "Outside of the Alley the casualties were higher. Several patrolling Muggle officers and several shop owners in the area fell prey to them before members of the Ministry finally got there. We quickly joined up with them, but all ready the attackers had began to scatter, although we managed to capture several of them before they all Disapparated. They are being questioned in the Ministry right now, I believe."

"Poor Exeter, and those poor Muggles," Jennifer said with grief. She felt for their families, and to have such news on Christmas. She remembered her first Christmas after her mother disappeared. She had had no one really close to her then, and had stayed at Beauxbatons, spending most of her time buried in her potion lab, trying to shut the rest of the world out and her sorrow as well.

"They are still being questioned, and yet you are here, and not there," Severus said with a frown. "I know quite well they would have asked you to stay to hear things out and you would have, unless something was more pressing to attend to here."

"That is true, Severus," Dumbledore said, looking at him over the rim of his glasses before sitting down in front of Jennifer. "And you're right, of course. You see, last night, we nearly lost some of our own staff. Voldemort had come up with a plan to attack towns he knew that professors had taken up residence. Of course, he knew he wouldn't be able to find any of their houses, but being Christmas Eve he believed that most would be home, and if he attacked their towns they would surely come out to defend against the attack. Away from the school with so many on his side, he was hoping to take out as many of my staff as he could.

"However, I had had a growing feeling that something was going to happen and had gone to the Ministry to find out about some strange reports they had been receiving from Muggles about men in black cloaks around their towns. Just after dinner they had struck hard, but we did not get word of it until well after they had hit the first town and began moving on to the next. Of course at that point I alerted the professors who had gone home of the situation, and I went in hopes of catching them before the first spell fell. Had I not gotten to Pomona Sprout's house when I did, I think surely that Braxton would have taken a larger hit. But the Ministry had the majority of its forces there soon after I arrived, and we were able to at last stop the assault.

"The worst hit," Dumbledore continued quietly, "were the two towns that they had attacked before we had gotten there, the first of which was hit mercilessly hard, and dozens of Muggle lives were lost, including members of a student's family, who happened to live so very close to the place he was searching for." Jennifer's face lost all color as she blinked at Dumbledore, hoping beyond all hope it wasn't where she thought. "Yes, Jennifer, it was Haven's Bluff. And I am here because tomorrow morning I need to tell Corey that his father, mother and brother have been killed."

Jennifer leaned back in the chair in shock, her mind wandering to when she had last seen them. Charles Willowby, Corey's father…he had been so kind to her, and had helped her when no one else could. He had been so wise and accepting, not anything like she'd have thought a Muggle to be like. Freda…who had been so determined to keep all of her children's feet on the ground, who wanted only for them all to have the best that she could offer, and who could always seem to keep a handle on Corey, no matter how rambunctious he could be. And Charles Jr., whom she barely knew, but had been just a boy, had always done more than his share of chores and work so the other two could play.

"What about Essie?" Jennifer asked quietly, her voice trembling. She was aware that Severus had come over and was now leaning on the back of her chair, his stony expression unchanging.

"She had gone over to visit her Aunt for the evening, which is where she is staying now. She's in shock, of course, but in no danger at the moment," Dumbledore told them.

"Sir, I would be willing to speak with Corey about this…"

"No, Severus, thank you," Dumbledore said, looking up at him, "Not this time. I know that Corey has come to look up to both of you and he's going to need your support, and I would rather he not associate either of you with this moment. I will tell him. Try not to worry. You know how resilient Corey is, and with us to be here for him, I'm sure he'll pull through this." Severus sighed silently and nodded, Dumbledore watching him steadily. Was it truly a sigh of acceptance, or a sigh of relief? The events must certainly be bringing buried memories to the surface.

"Professor, I…if there's not anything else, I think I need some air," Jennifer said, drawing Dumbledore's attention back to her, still pale and obviously fighting off her own emotions again.

"I'll go with her," Severus said quickly.

"Very well. If you feel you need to get a hold of me, just drop a note, Jennifer, for any reason," Dumbledore assured her.

"Yes sir, thank you," Jennifer said, heading towards the door.

"And that goes double for you, Severus," Dumbledore said, almost chidingly. Severus bowed slightly, his expression barely changing before he followed Jennifer out. "What a pair those two have become," Dumbledore said, his eyes still looking thoughtfully at the door they had just left.


	25. Children Lost

Chapter Twenty-Five

Children Lost

It was the first Muggle gathering of any kind that Jennifer Craw had ever gone to, and she wished so much she had never needed to go. The funeral was tension from the first moment that she, Severus and Corey arrived with Arthur Weasley. Corey's sister, Essie, sitting with her Aunt Rebecca Hunt, had darted immediately over to Corey despite Rebecca's stern voice, bursting into tears as she hugged him in both grief and relief to see him there and safe. Corey, who had been walking around in a daze not ready yet to deal with his loss, gently hugged her back comfortingly although his lost expression never changed. It was, however, an encouraging sight to Jennifer, who had become worried about him earlier when she first saw him in Minerva's office. Quiet and uncommunicative was not a way she had ever thought to describe Corey. But the moment was soon interrupted as Rebecca reached Essie's side, gently but firmly putting her hands on her shoulders and asking her to come away and sit with her and Uncle Mark, her cold glance making it clear that she didn't want Corey along.

Jennifer watched in total confusion. What was Mrs. Hunt thinking, treating her own nephew like that? She had taken a step forward only to be stopped by a hand on her own shoulder, and turned to see the keen eyes of Dumbledore. His appearance was remarkably different right now in his black Muggle suit, large glasses and cropped beard, but there was no mistaking him to anyone who knew him. It was an understanding glance, but one that curtailed any thoughts of her going over to Rebecca and Essie.

Instead, she went with the others from the school who seemed to be standing apart from everyone else, as much the Muggles own doing as theirs. Severus, the least Mugglish looking of the group in a black turtleneck and black trench coat, stood close beside Corey, saying something quietly to him before the two of them stepped back next to Jennifer.

Jennifer fought back her anger as someone stepped up to speak, watching the glances between Corey and Essie. Mr. Hunt, who had also noticed the exchange, glanced over nervously to see Jennifer watching, then whispered to Essie, who turned quickly around. Mr. Hunt, at least, didn't blame Corey, it seemed, but he was very afraid of all of them, including Corey. Jennifer frowned at that realization, suddenly concerned. Was the boy going to have to grow up in a house that feared him? Would they take him out of school? Or would they want him at all? She glanced down at Corey. He had been scarcely aware of his aunt's actions, it seemed, too immersed in his own grief to think about it. Jennifer put a comforting arm on his shoulder, even though his expression didn't even change because of the action. These two needed love and support right now, not anger.

She stood quietly there with them the rest of the proceedings, Severus close beside them, Jennifer so concerned over Corey that she hadn't noticed the strange flash of grief in Severus' own eyes, or the fact that he was having trouble standing his ground next to them. But Dumbledore, standing with Minerva and Angus Brim (who had brought Taylor, Doug and Julie) had been keeping a close eye on Severus, and was watching him carefully when Severus glanced his way. Something of Severus that Dumbledore hadn't seen in many years, a phantom of the past, emerged in that exchange, as Severus thought back to when his own father and stepmother were murdered. He had been eleven as well, just entering school, when everything came crashing down…the same age as the boy standing in front of him. The road was an unpleasant one to travel, and one that Severus never had completely dealt with. But Dumbledore was quite certain, especially if his observations of Corey's relatives were correct, that Severus would be forced to deal with it, one way or the other.

Jennifer thought the funeral would never end, the loss and grief so very heavy as if they were stuck in a bad dream. But at last she found herself numbly wiping tears out of her eyes as Severus led the boy up to the graves, undeniably -- perhaps even to some surprisingly – supportive. She was aware of Minerva by her side giving her a comforting glance and handing her a handkerchief. Relaxing slightly at the simple gesture, Jennifer smiled gratefully at her.

"Are you all right?" Minerva asked her quietly.

"I'm just so worried about Corey and Essie," Jennifer admitted, watching as Corey's three friends went over to him to talk to him. Severus stood watching a long moment, before turning and walking over to Dumbledore.

"Yes, we all are," Minerva sighed softly with a nod. "It's not going to be easy for them regardless of what the future holds. But Jennifer, we can only do so much. Professors should guide students as best we can through the hard times, but we're not a substitute for their family, we can't see them all individually through everything."

"It's too late for a 'don't get too personal speech', Minerva," Jennifer said slowly, looking over to her. "He was my friend before he was my student, and I just can't stay out of this, I just can't, so don't ask me to." Minerva studied her for a long moment then sighed.

"I understand, Jennifer," she said, as they glanced back over to where the students were standing. Essie had somehow managed to wander over to them and was standing with Corey as he tried to comfort her, an arm around her as he dried off her tears with his hand. Grief appeared from underneath Corey's brave expression and Jennifer felt another sense of relief. It was not enough to be apparent to anyone else, she was sure, but her keen Truth Seeking abilities couldn't miss the change. But then she noticed that Mrs. Hunt had spotted them, and excusing herself quickly Jennifer intercepted, walking up to her with a warm smile. The smile was not returned, instead was met with a cold, wary frown, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Hi, I'm Jennifer Craw, I'm one of Corey's teachers," Jennifer offered then continued after the pause indicated she wasn't going to reply. "Your brother was a very kind and wise person, as was Freda and their son. I'm so terribly sorry about your loss."

"Yes, you should be," Rebecca snapped, trying to take a step around her but Jennifer was a tad quicker.

"I just wanted you to know, if you need anything, just let me know. Corey and I have become close friends. He's one of our best students, and anything I can do to make things easier for he and Essie is important to me," Jennifer explained.

"I think you've done enough, don't you? If it weren't for you, if you hadn't interfered, if you never had come here, they wouldn't have been murdered at all! Get away from me, and keep that…that mutant away from Essie!" Rebecca said angrily as her husband came up behind her, trying to calm her down.

"Look, perhaps you're right about me being here causing it, fine. Blame me," Jennifer said, trying to keep her anger in check, "but don't take this out on Corey. He's just as much your brother's son as he ever was, and he needs his family right now, especially Essie, please don't shut him out. Charles would want them together, you know that."

"How dare you say what my brother would or wouldn't want? Especially after your part in all this?" Rebecca asked, raising her voice.

"Miss Craw is right, Rebecca."

Jennifer looked up at the strangely familiar voice to see someone she remembered from the Muggle police office. It was Sergeant Brommel, walking up to Jennifer's side.

"I don't know how it comes that you are angry at the Professor over this, considering she wasn't even here at the time, but Charles respected her and I think you're doing him an injustice by taking your anger out on her, let alone the boy. Don't make this worse for Corey than it already is, you know how kids are about blaming themselves over things. Let the kids have some quiet time for now, they've lost everything they've ever known but each other."

"There's a lot going on here you don't understand, Sarge," Rebecca said her eyes full of fire, pointing at her. "That woman is a witch! A work of the devil! And Corey is lost to us now, a student of Satan's ways! He died the moment he left this world for his accursed one, and he is dead to us now. It was their folk that killed them! That occult was real black magic, Brommel, and I'll be damned if I let Essie be corrupted by all this evil!" Rebecca said and went into the center of the group of children, grabbing Essie forcefully away and saying something Jennifer couldn't hear to the rest of them before taking her away, yelling at her husband to get the car. Jennifer stood there in dismay and confusion, glancing over to Brommel who looked over at Rebecca with deep concern, patting Jennifer's shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Miss Craw. She's just in pain for losing her brother and his family, don't take it to heart, you just take care of Corey, hm?" he said gently, before going over to try and talk to her. Arthur Weasley joined him and they headed over to Rebecca who had shoved Essie in the car before turning to face them; her angry voice audible even though Jennifer couldn't make out the words.

"Jennifer?" Dumbledore came up beside her. "We need to be leaving soon. Perhaps you and Severus should get Corey back, and escort him to the hospital wing so that Poppy can recommend something to help the boy relax."

"All right, Professor," Jennifer said, looking around for Severus' tall figure in the crowd. "Can I ask a question, first?"

"Of course, Jennifer," Dumbledore said.

"Why do some of these Muggles…many of them, in fact," Jennifer said, as she scanned some of the faces, "think all magic is evil?"

"That's a good question," Dumbledore agreed, walking her slowly over to the rest of their group. "Why do our own kind often see Muggles as unintelligent, or inferior, that their world is less important than ours, inconsequential? Or we see all werewolves evil, or judge a person as evil based on their family name?"

"I ask a question, and you give me more questions to think about," Jennifer muttered in annoyance.

"That was the general idea, yes," Dumbledore said.

* * *

Once Corey was comfortably resting and the other students were back in their rooms, Jennifer and Severus headed up to Dumbledore's study. They were soon joined by Minerva and Dumbledore, looking like their normal selves again.

"Well, it's official," Minerva sighed as they came in, looking more serious than usual. "The Hunts are going to take over the sheep farm and manage the family business, but they have no intention of become Corey's guardian. They only want Essie."

"They can't do that!" Jennifer said with alarm. "How could she possibly even consider it? Corey's just as much their relative as Essie, not to mention how much they need each other right now. It sounds as if it that woman had it her way, they'd never see each other again!"

"Jennifer, I'm afraid there just isn't anything we can do about that," Minerva said, "I tried to warn you, there's just some things we have no control over. She's already requested that he be turned over as a ward of the state."

"Doesn't she have any idea what that will do to him?" Jennifer demanded, her temper getting the better of her. "He's barely responding now. How is he supposed to get through such a trauma without a family? How can she turn on her own kin like that? Right now he has us to turn to, but what's going to happen to him when summer comes?"

"Jennifer!" Minerva said sternly. "I thought we all ready had that discussion."

"I don't agree with that discussion!" Jennifer said hotly, before walking up to Dumbledore's desk and staring him straight in the eye. "Professor Dumbledore, if Mrs. Hunt files release of custody, I'd like to adopt Corey."

Minerva was suddenly flustered, trying to get words out but coming up short, not knowing quite what to say. Dumbledore as well didn't say anything at first, holding his fingers together and laying them on his desk, looking at her searchingly. He was also aware of Severus, staying some distance behind her, watching the entire scene as if he had been apart of something similar once before.

"Look, I know this is completely unorthodox, but this isn't anything close to a normal situation. I know it's going to be a board nightmare, and I know it's a big responsibility, and will complicate my life teaching wise until Corey's out of school. But Corey needs to know he's not alone, and he needs somewhere to turn, and he needs to know he has a home to go to in the summer, and someone that understands him.

"Okay, so he's far from the model student. He's undeniably a troublemaker to the extreme, lazy and ambitious, precocious and defiant at times. In fact, I've seen the most patient teachers in this school threaten to shackle him in the dungeon at one time or another. But he's also very brilliant, and unquestionably talented, caring, and first to volunteer at anything…well, at least, anything not involving extra schoolwork. But the point is…well…I love the boy. And I don't want him to be tossed aside by anybody!"

Dumbledore gazed at her searchingly for a very long time. He sat back in his chair then, his eyes looking down on his desk.

"So. We've come full circle now, haven't we?" he said as if to himself. "Was it so long ago that I made a similar statement to the Ministry in a rather similar situation?" He paused, looking over at Severus, studying him as well. "Severus, you have just as much say so in this as Jennifer does, and considering the impulsive nature of it, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter." Jennifer blushed slightly, instantly aware she should have spoke to him first, looking over at him nervously. Severus, who had been looking steadily at Dumbledore, turned to Jennifer with a look that instantly put her at ease.

"If Jennifer hadn't spoken, I would have," Severus said simply, glancing back at Dumbledore. "The boy is going to also need a firm hand to keep him from getting too falsely assured in himself as well, and perhaps insight from someone who has…been through certain things. Besides," he added, coming up to stand by Jennifer's side. "If Essie is going to be staying at Haven's Bluff, the chances of them 'accidentally' bumping into each other are definitely going to be much higher than if he were living with anyone else." Jennifer smiled lovingly at him.

"Well, then, I suppose the two of you should talk things over to make sure for certain this is what you both want…although I have little doubt at this moment that you both do, it'd make me feel better if you discussed it with me in more detail. Then, you'll have to find out if this is what Corey wants," Dumbledore said, "and, of course, you know whatever you decide I'll support you with it. How can I possibly go against this? I could not, I don't think, even if I disagreed with you in principle. We must all do what is best for each other."

"You know if you do plan to do this, you are going to have to name a wedding date. You are going to have to be married," Minerva pointed out.

"Then make it the last weekend of school, just before the students go home," Severus suggested, brushing back Jennifer's hair.

"Sounds perfect to me," Jennifer smiled at him, leaning back into him happily. Dumbledore then smiled as well, glancing back to Minerva.

"Life goes on," he said, sitting back up in his seat. "And as such, I suppose we ought to turn our attention to how to stop this sort of thing from occurring again, as well as allow Jennifer to continue her search for the Tomb." Jennifer nodded at that, sitting down in her chair.

* * *

"I feel utterly ridiculous."

Anna couldn't help but shake her head at Jennifer, who was scowling at herself in the mirror and at the white blouse with colorful floral embroidery and the dusty-rose slacks. Her auburn hair had been lightened considerably into a strawberry blonde, deftly curled around her face. Anna was busy twisting the rest of her hair into a wrap, glancing at her in the mirror. She definitely looked altogether different.

"This isn't going to work," Jennifer grumbled, shaking her head.

"Would you hold still?" Anna said in exasperation. "You look fine. I didn't spend all day shopping for you to have you start complaining now. Dumbledore wanted to make sure you looked authentically Muggle and I got as un-Jennifer as I could get without you looking phony. Now, let's go over the make up, shall we?"

"Oh, no, I'm not putting that stuff on my face. It's bad enough trying to walk in these shoes," Jennifer said. "Why can't I wear those other shoes you got me while I'm on the train?"

"Because sneakers aren't for nice clothes, it'd look silly. That's for the caves."

"I already look silly! Can I at least wear my barrette? Bad enough I'm leaving my watch behind," Jennifer sighed, twisting the uncomfortable band on the wristwatch she had been given.

"Jennifer, that barrette moves on its own at times. It'd stick out like a neon sign," Anna sighed, taking a step back to look her over.

"A what?"

"Never mind. Well, I think it'll do. Here, put these on," Anna said, reaching in her bag and pulling out some clip pearl earrings. "They don't exactly match your mother's necklace but should be close enough."

"I wish you were going, Anna," Jennifer said and not for the first time. She cringed slightly as she snapped on the earring, shaking her head from side to side as her ears began to go numb. "It's not going to be easy trying to keep Pyther and Severus from killing each other on this trip."

"Well, I have work to do now. Vallid needs me on some things she's working on. Besides, I think you can manage. From what I've seen of Pyther, he's too afraid of Severus to do anything to tick him off, and with Dumbledore putting Severus in charge of the expedition, Severus won't do anything to someone on his team. Not like him. He'll wait until you guys get back before he kills him," Anna grinned. There was a knock at the door, and Anna went over to answer it while Jennifer was still trying to decide if Anna was teasing or not. Suddenly Anna caught herself laughing and excused herself quickly as she let Severus in.

He was wearing a semi-casual brown suit, high collar white shirt and a loose brown tie. His hair had been pulled back into a small tail, and he came in staring thoughtfully at Jennifer, studying her apparel as surely as she was looking at his. He had at least gotten to pick out his own clothes, but he certainly seemed rather un-Snapeish out of his black wardrobe.

"How do I look, Titiana?"

"Well, the clothes work, although you should probably unbutton the collar," Anna suggested.

"No," Severus said simply, then glanced quizzically at Jennifer waiting for her opinion.

"I don't know, Severus, there's still something terribly wizardly about you," Jennifer admitted.

"She's right," Anna nodded, "Although I'm not quite sure what it is. Even out of black clothes he still has a gothic look about him," she said amused. "Maybe it's his hair."

"I think it's his eyes," Jennifer said thoughtfully, gazing into them. They were so dark, and so haunted at times, and yet she had always found herself entranced by them.

"Yeah, you might be right," Anna nodded thoughtfully. "Hold that thought, let me get Dumbledore and see what he thinks," she said, walking out. They were back a few moments later, Dumbledore's eyes twinkling amusedly when he saw them.

"Ah, yes, so you are about ready. Jennifer…or should I say Josephine…you look splendid. And Severus," Dumbledore pondered thoughtfully, looking at him a moment. "Might I suggest a slight addition?" He took out something shiny out of his pocket, a galleon, Jennifer realized, and in a blink transformed them into a pair of small lens gold reading glasses, much like his own, handing them over to Severus, who took them reluctantly.

Jennifer immediately decided she liked them, helping to soften his sharp features and give him a more scholarly look, accentuating the thoughtful, quiet nature that he often hid with his more dramatic side.

"Oh, now that's cute," Anna said with a teasing grin. "Definitely an improvement."

"Very cute, I like them," Jennifer agreed whole-heartedly. Severus frowned at her smiling face.

"I have been called a great many things, but that is definitely not one I've ever heard before," Severus said, moving to take them off. The other three protested so quickly at once that he paused and scowled

"Oh come now Severus, it's only for a couple of days," Dumbledore reminded him. "It does make a big difference. No one will recognize you in those, and the last thing I want is for the three of you to get caught outside the country right now," he said, glancing at his watch. "You should be going. Pyther will meet you at the Hogwarts platform and you can reach the main platforms from there. He'll have all your paperwork, itinerary, passports and all that from the Ministry.

"Severus, Francis is taking a lot of very large risks in taking this journey, and I want you especially to remember that. In fact, it's probably been centuries since he's gotten up enough nerve to leave the country, let alone travel with someone he's afraid of. Please, try not to be too hard on him?" Severus nodded stiffly to Dumbledore, although not very convincingly. "Jennifer, try not to worry about Corey. I will be here to keep an eye on things."

Anna went up and hugged them both warmly, Severus looking a tad uncomfortable, stiffly patting her back. Jennifer gazed up at Severus with a smile, picking up her Unremarkable suitcase and a cage with a wave to the others and Disapparating, Severus soon following her lead.

Under water and over land, the Muggle train system amazed and baffled Jennifer, who suddenly found herself enjoying this unusual holiday. She was traveling under the name Josephine Doyle, wife of Sebastian Doyle, a British archeologist (played by Severus,) and guests of their good friend Felix Farber, an Austrian anthropologist (played, of course, by Francis Pyther.) At first Pyther seemed stiff and nervous, but once he had finally convinced himself that Severus wasn't about to murder him, he began to relax and became an interesting travel companion. In fact, Jennifer soon learned that he actually knew more about her family than she did, and as Severus sat and researched old Muggle myths on the murders, Pyther recounted some of the untold family history to Jennifer as he sat and scribbled on a large pad he had brought.

"Mallus only had one son by the name of Vindious, as I'm sure you know. He was reputedly a sour, disagreeable man, concerned more with gaining and holding money than anything else. The direct family line might have died out then and there had his father not arranged a marriage for him to strengthen some overseas ties to the family. Well, for better or for worse, they got along somewhat well enough, and had a son and a daughter." Jennifer suddenly blinked in surprise.

"I thought Vindious only had a son? I'm quite sure that is what the historical reference of the family says," Jennifer said with a frown. "Mortius was his name, I think."

"Yes, that is so, but what the book does not tell you is that he also had a sister, by the name of Ambrosia. She wasn't someone the Craws wanted to remember and did a good job of erasing her from the family history…well, to some extent," he smiled. "You see, Ambrosia was unfortunate enough to have fallen for an outsider. Knowing that her family would never approve, she got married secretly, and they did not discover it until she became pregnant with their child." Jennifer stared at him for a long time to make sure she understood. Someone in her family married a Muggle? It seemed rather incredulous, especially in those days, when such an event would have been viewed with complete contempt in such a prestigious family.

"What happened to them when the Craws found out?" Jennifer asked, dreading the worst.

"Vindious was furious, of course. Had it been Mallus who was her father she'd have been struck down as she stood before him, no doubt about that. But Vindious wasn't about to dirty his hands with it. He disowned her, and mysteriously enough, it was discovered that Ambrosia could not have any more children, and soon learned that her own son could not have any either. Her husband disappeared before his son reached his first birthday, and Ambrosia was forced to flee, moving back to their native country of England. There they were left in relative peace. Andrew grew up and found himself to have a particular talent in the healing arts. In fact, his talents and his willingness to help others prompted him to go into priesthood believe it or not, and became a regionally known 'miracle worker' of sorts.

"What do you know, a white sheep of the family," Jennifer chuckled softly. "That is strange, though. I can't think of anyone else in the Craw family line who was a physician of any kind."

"Yes, interesting, isn't it?" Pyther agreed with a smile. "But once Andrew was quite a bit older, he ended up having a very significant influence on the rest of the Craw line, despite their attempts to ostracize them. For Mortius, who had married much later than his sister, came to his fateful demise. He left behind a wife and three young children, not one of them to their eleventh year. Andrew had then arranged with her to tutor the three children discreetly. He never discouraged their natural talents in any way, but he did teach them quite a bit about the beliefs of Janus Craw and brought back a lot of the old values that had been destroyed almost to the point of being wiped from existence by Mallus."

"I often wondered about that," Jennifer said thoughtfully, her head in her hand. "Because I'd always known that Mallus was the worst of the line, and yet, when he was gone, it was in some ways as if the family picked up where it left off. Mallus became then more of a symbol of what one of the family was capable of, but normally didn't."

"At the same time, Josephine," Pyther said, looking at her seriously, "I also think that Craw family spent quite a bit of time talking up about how extraordinary his skills were and less about what atrocities that he committed. I think, in some respects, that Andrew might have been afraid that if the entire truth was known, the family might not have accepted a more…conservative attitude towards power in those changing times. I think you'll get to see what I mean, when we get to where we're going," he added, scribbling on the bottom of the paper with some flourish.

Jennifer peered over curiously to see exactly what he was doing and brightened visibly when she saw that he'd been sketching all the while that they were talking. Severus, who had been immersed in a book of legends, had been completely unaware of the casual scrutiny, giving Pyther the opportunity to draw him as he sat there, in complete Muggle regalia, glasses and all. Jennifer was delighted.

"Oh, Felix! _C'est magnifique_! You really are a brilliant artist," Jennifer said, as Severus looked up suspiciously.

"For you, consider it a souvenir," Pyther smiled to Jennifer handing her the picture. Gazing over at it, Severus scowled, his eyes flashing dangerously at the artist.

"How dare you sketch me without my permission?" Severus snarled.

"Sebastian!"

"Spontaneous sketches always capture a moment better," Pyther said, sounding slightly nervous. "I was only trying to pass the time."

"Please don't be angry, _mari_, I've always wanted a better picture of you, and he really did mean well," Jennifer said, helplessly noting the furious look in his eyes. Just then a woman peered in.

"Pardon, but the kitchen is about to close for the evening in case you wished to get something," she smiled at them.

"Maybe I shall, I could use a stake right now," Severus said glaring at Pyther, "with plenty of garlic."

"_C'est tres drole, cheri, tres tres drole_," Jennifer scowled at Severus warningly. "Mon _mari_ is just joking. _Merci, Madame, _just some Ceylon tea" As the woman left, Pyther got up, his voice coming out something like a squeak at first before clearing his throat.

"I think I'll go walk about a bit, excuse me," Pyther said, and Jennifer got up to let him through, watching him as he nervously slipped out. Jennifer sighed, looking over at Severus who was looking back at her with annoyance, moving to sit beside him.

"Severus, can't you relax just a little?" Jennifer whispered coaxingly, leaning her chin on his shoulder. "Pyther can't help what he is and he really is a nice guy." Severus leaned back to look at her, frowning.

"You actually like him, don't you?" Severus asked accusingly.

"Absolutely," Jennifer nodded, "don't forget I see people for who they really are. Why else would I be with an old grouch like you?" she teased, kissing him lightly. Severus put an arm around her, and Jennifer leaned back and turned her attention to the papers in front of her.

It was just after midnight when they switched trains in Brussels, and fortunately everything was on time. At a predetermined stop just after four in the morning, Jennifer went out to 'check' on Ratfly. She let the customs check his papers and put him back into baggage for the short remainder left on the trip, his cage tightly sealed with a seamless covering that would probably boggle the mind of anyone trying to get into it out of curiosity. And it was just as well, for anyone who would have been watching closely would have noticed quite a remarkable change in Ratfly's appearance…his nose scrunched and ears flattened and even shrunk dramatically in size. In fact, they'd have noticed it wasn't a fruit bat at all, but a bat of a different type all together.

Following Jennifer's instructions, Ratfly, freed from his confined cage, went to see if there were a local owlery to drop off a note, and then catch up with them the next evening. The exchange between he and Pyther had been complete, and when Jennifer and Severus finally reached their stop as the sky began to lighten and change in color, the vampire bat was safely protected and snug in his temporary sleeping quarters.

Jennifer quickly learned that despite his reluctance to deal with Muggles, Severus was more than capable of doing it when he had to. Stuck in a country where she didn't know the language, she quickly became heavily reliant on him, understanding why Dumbledore had put him in charge. They checked into a small family hotel in the town, and spent the day there resting. Jennifer awoke just a few minutes before five as Severus walked in the door, apparently having been out and about. He went over to the window and opened it, just long enough for an irate, tired bat to come flying in, complaining irritably. Jennifer got up and took charge of the bat and calmed him as Severus set papers on the table, shoving the cage sitting there so far to the side that it nearly teetered off the edge.

"Everything seems to be in order among the officials for tonight, and I arranged for a cab to pick us up around six thirty local time, oh and I picked up some of these," Severus said, taking out some electric torches, filling them with batteries as Jennifer watched carefully and showed her how to use one. "Once we get there, we'll see about finding a spot for Pyther to Apparate over to us. With any luck, they will leave us alone once we're at the caves, but I got these torches in case they don't," he explained, glancing over the local map. "Get into my cloak and see if there's a tray there. I arranged for someone to leave us a decent meal in the chest. And there should be something for _it_, too," he added, nodding curtly towards the cage, still halfway off the table.

"Well, that was thoughtful of you," Jennifer said, only slightly surprised as she dug through the cloak's pockets.

"Thoughtful, nothing. He didn't eat yesterday, and I've no intention of becoming a snack," Severus muttered. Jennifer sighed softly but smiled knowingly at him, pulling out the steaming tray of food. A note was laying on it as well, and Jennifer stacked some of Severus' papers to make room for it on the table, picking up the note.

"Got your message, good to hear you are safe. All is quiet again, Dumbledore on the move. Corey is the same. Francis' nourishment is in the sheepskin pouch. Take care, Minerva," Jennifer read out loud.

"Don't take the pouch out yet, let's not ruin our appetites, eat first," Severus suggested, pointing at the tray.

"Shouldn't we wake Pyther?" Jennifer asked, glancing out the window at the darkening sky.

"Eat first, it's getting late. I'll wake him up before we leave," Severus insisted.

Jennifer wasn't about to argue and ate quickly, enjoying the reminder of home in the strange surroundings. Severus drummed his fingers as he ate, impatient to get going and get it over with. Once they had finished, Severus jumped up to gather up his papers and bumped the table, causing the cage to go crashing to the ground.

"Oops," Severus smirked, and Jennifer became suspicious that it might have been intentional. "Oh, well, I suppose that means he's awake now," he added as he shoved the tray in his cloak. Muttering to herself and shaking her head, Jennifer gently lifted up the cage and unsealed the cover, opening it. A vampire bat immediately flew out, changing into a slightly irritable Francis Pyther.

"Good evening, Pyther, I hope you weren't too uncomfortable," Jennifer said sympathetically.

"Oh, I've been in tighter spots. I slept well enough. I take it that it's nearly time to go?" he asked. Severus, who had retrieved a pouch from his cloak held it distastefully out to Pyther. "Thank you," Pyther said gratefully, ignoring the look he had gotten from the wizard.

"We're going to head down. We'll send Ratfly after you when it's safe for you to head over. Come along, Josephine," Severus said, transforming his cloak back into a coat and putting it on. Jennifer put her own on and followed him, offering Pyther a smile and a wave on her way out the door.

The cab was waiting just on time and they sped quickly to the site, stopping at a low fenced area just outside of it to speak with a bored looking guard, who showed them in. The main cavern was wired for light, and sections of the floor had been layered carefully from previous excavations. It was an eerie feeling when they stepped in, like a cache on a battlefield, and many presences lingered, Jennifer was sure of that.

"Here's where the majority of lost children were found," Severus said, translating for Jennifer. "He says to look around as much as we like and he'll be on the grounds if we need him." Once he left, Severus went outside for a moment, and Jennifer found herself trying to listen to the room. She thought then she saw something from the corner of her eye and swiftly turned her head, but it was gone before she could catch it.

"Welcome to the Chamber of Lost Children," Pyther said, as he entered behind Severus, with a smile. "I want you to meet some friends of mine. I met them quite a few years ago when I had to seek refuge here one morning." He then said something in a strange German dialect, which was answered from all around, and Jennifer heard his last name called over and over again by young voices. Ghostly forms materialized around them, dozens of them, most of them filthy and thin, their cloths soiled with dirty hair and faces; sad, fearful faces, but still obviously glad to see the vampire. They were heartbreaking to look upon, some of them so young that they were being held by older siblings; eternally comforting each other. A small group of the older children went and spoke with Pyther, Severus frowning with concentration trying to understand the distorted speech. After a moment, the older children glided over to speak with the others, some of them looking curiously over at Severus and Jennifer.

"What are they saying?" Jennifer asked after a few moments, getting impatient.

"I told them why we're here and why you are with me," Pyther explained with a smile. "They're debating whether or not to show us where the crypt is. So far, I think they've decided you're not very scary," he said with amusement.

"Oh, wonderful. That's good to know," Jennifer muttered.

"Actually, it's better than you know, considering they just told me that a man had come here three years ago who they were sure was a Craw and they wouldn't let him in because they thought he was scary," Pyther said. Jennifer and Severus exchanged scowls.

"Remind me to have a long talk with my father about that when we get back," Jennifer said.

"And why he didn't this place mention it before," Severus nodded in irritation.

"Definitely," Jennifer grunted, glancing back at the large group of children. "They're so young, so very young. Why didn't they ascend?"

"Fear has made their souls older than their time on earth," Pyther sighed. "They are afraid his spirit might waken and afraid evil might come back."

"Did you tell them about the painting? About Dumbledore banishing him?" Jennifer asked.

"Yes, although I'm not sure they believed me," Pyther sighed. "Their fears are warranted, considering what they went through. Mallus Craw came to get something from the town, what I'm not quite sure, the children do not say. The tale tells of gold, but I think that is just to hide the truth behind what he was after. He sent the plagues after the town, of that I'm sure. They tried to trick him by giving them something in place of what he wanted. That was when he took the children for ransom using his siren's call, and held them for many weeks. But the townspeople had sought aid, and a posse of wizards who had already been tracking him soon arrived. Angry about their part in tipping off his whereabouts, Craw slaughtered the children and fled into the inner caverns, where he met his doom. The cavern was then sealed, and the children, I think, have had a hand in making sure the Muggle archaeologists haven't found it."

Pyther paused as the older group of children began to approach again, looking at them with expressions unusually serious for their young ages. Pyther didn't translate, but Jennifer could tell from their faces they were going to show them in. In fact, they quietly slipped down a narrow damp passageway and the three living followed behind, soon exchanging their wan electric torch lights for the brighter blue wisp lights, fairly certain that the remaining children would keep the guard out if he came to check on them.

Several of the more daring children followed along, some of them clutching rag dolls and sucking at immaterial thumbs as they watched the strangers with intense curiosity. At last they stopped at what appeared to be a dead end, and Pyther took out his wand, pointing at the cavern wall they indicated. A thin line not visible a moment before began to glow with light, and a wall of rock split apart and slid out of the way at Pyther's spell, leaving an area large enough to squeeze through. Severus went in immediately, followed closely behind by Jennifer, who cringed at the stale smell of the air as they entered.

A great stone slab covered the center of the floor that appeared to have been neatly cut from the ceiling, cold and bare. As the wisp lights hovered in, Jennifer noticed chiseled writing on each wall, and Pyther went over to inspect one wall, and Severus glanced at another, brushing off the letters.

"Epitaph, looks like, written in old German," Pyther said.

"This one's in English," Severus said, reading it. "Here lies the Screamer whose coming was foretold, now eternally silenced. May no other undertake the darkest quest; for those who seek to master the power of death shall only become its servant."

"This one would translate quite close to the same," Pyther said, glancing at the other walls. "It looks like the other two are Italian and French."

"The French says the same," Jennifer nodded, glancing back over at the English version thoughtfully.

"Don't tell me we came all the way here and there is nothing here," Severus said with slight irritation in his voice.

"Well, we knew it was a long shot," Pyther sighed, glancing at it thoughtfully.

"There is something here," Jennifer said after a moment, earning quizzical looks from the other two. "Severus, do you remember what Icarus said about the gem? The Keeper is to use it when she is at her darkest moment. Darkest quest, darkest moment, I think there's a real connection there." Severus gave her a doubtful look. "Seeking power over death…the twelve death spells, which we know are written in the Forbidden tomb. I'm pretty sure that last sentence is directly referring to the tomb," she said, taking out her wand. "Help me move this slab out of the way, I want to take a closer look." Wobbling slightly at their spell, the slab slowly lifted onto its side and back as Jennifer looked into a shallow grave. The corpse had been tossed into the hole with only the semblance of a proper burial, shallowly laid and dusted with dirt. Jennifer carefully removed it glancing over the skeletal remains when she spotted something interesting. He was wearing an ornate sheath, meant for a dagger, and Jennifer was quite certain it was the mate to her family dagger. He also had a ring, a family ring, with a large green stone set in silver.

"Cover for me," Jennifer said, bringing out her Puzzlebox and putting on some gloves.

"Jennifer, are you sure this is wise? Grave robbing?" Pyther asked, frowning disapprovingly. Severus frowned at him, but turned his attention quickly to Jennifer.

"Oh, Pyther, you sound like a superstitious Muggle. Mallus' spirit is gone now, and I can assure you this would have gone to me had the circumstances of his death had been different," Jennifer said, gingerly lifting it out and putting it into her box. "Why the dagger wasn't in it, though, is definitely a mystery. Why carry the sheath without the dagger? Just doesn't make sense," She carefully slid the ring off, feeling it tingle even through her heavy gloves. Frowning slightly at the sensation. "This one we need to be careful with," she muttered, then found a cloth to wrap it in before putting it in the box.

Little else of interest was on the remains that she could sense or see and she stood, brushing herself off as Pyther and Severus eased the slab back into place. They then carefully wrote down each inscription, scanning everything to make sure they hadn't missed anything before leaving, sealing the room behind themselves. Outside the children were still hovering nervously about the door, immediately questioning Pyther the moment they were safely out.

"You know, Jennifer, there's a simple explanation for why the dagger was missing," Severus said as they walked towards the front, the ghosts parting nervously out of their way. "And it's the same reason that the wand wasn't there. A Craw had been a member of the posse that had gone after them." Jennifer stared at him for a long moment.

"I hope you don't mean to imply that he was killed by another Craw," Jennifer said defensively, feeling a strange surge of pride flaring up. "Our family has a code against warring with itself, regardless of what they've done. A Craw wouldn't kill another Craw, it's just unthinkable."

"I'm only saying a Craw probably had been there," Severus said, looking at her expressionlessly. "I doubt that Mallus would have been using any other wand but his own, especially with the power it possessed, and we know that he had used one, the evidence for that is all around us. Yet you have said yourself that the wand has not left family hands, nor has the dagger to your knowledge. Not to mention the fact both of which have distinct curses on them against others messing with them. And, since I think you're right in that he had probably been carrying the dagger as well as the scabbard, someone must have taken it before the body had been buried. So, either one of the posse had taken the items and delivered them to your family, or more likely, a Craw was there and a member of the posse."

"Let's ask the children," Jennifer said suddenly, biting back her anger. "Pyther, could you ask them if they recall seeing anyone removing a dagger and a wand from Craw before they left?" Pyther nodded and then asked them, as Jennifer frowned, watching their expressions impatiently. She suddenly felt Severus' hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her, strangely supportive. Pyther nodded thoughtfully, glancing back over to them, studying the look in Jennifer's eyes.

"They remember him well, it seems that the man had been there once before when they had been still alive, apparently to ask him to surrender. It was his son, Vindious, and apparently, when he refused to do so, Vindious came and led five others besides himself to the caves, but it had been too late…too late. That was when they finally hunted him down and killed him together."

"Vindious as well?" Jennifer asked sharply. Pyther said something to them and they nodded, looking at Jennifer in such a way she had to accept it. She leaned back into Severus and sighed softly, not feeling much in the mood to learn any more family history for a while.


	26. The Potion and the Scroll

Chapter Twenty-Six

The Potion and the Scroll

Everyone in the school was glad when classes resumed, but none more so than Corey Willowby. He was tired of the sympathetic looks, and of people he hadn't even spoken to before going out of the way to be nice to him, not to mention everyone trying to get him to talk when he didn't feel like it. Even Professor Craw seemed hesitant around him, not even saying a word when he turned in his holiday assignment half finished.

Corey picked at his food thoughtfully at dinner that night, barely listening to Doug and Ron as they talked about the sparring tournament starting that evening. He glanced up at the head table where Craw was listening intently to McGonagall, who seemed to have the rest of the table's attention as well. Snape drummed his fingers distractedly, glancing out over the students. Noticing Corey's gaze, he studied the boy for a moment before focusing his attention back on Craw, who seemed to be absorbed in what was being discussed, barely touching her food as usual. She hardly ever seemed to do much eating at the head table as far as Corey could tell, and never stayed for meals except dinner.

They had both come to him just a day before classes resumed, and Craw had asked if he would like her as his guardian, and perhaps even adopt him once she and Snape were married. It was a tempting offer; maybe too tempting, and Corey didn't feel like answering right away. It was as if everything he might have wanted for himself was now being handed to him at the expense of his parents and brother. How could he allow himself to just go on like that? Of course, there was the advantage of seeing his sister more often if he were living at the Broom Closet. Corey had little doubt that he would be able to arrange to see each her without his aunt knowing about it quite easily, and he knew that Craw and Snape would never try to keep him away from his sister.

"Corey?" Hermione, who was sitting next to Ron and Doug, was tapping his hand lightly from across the table, trying to get his attention. "Taylor and some of the other news staff and I are going to the newsroom to work on some new ideas for the paper while they're in sparring club. You want to come?"

"I wouldn't, Corey, Malfoy's going to be there, and I think he still blames you for getting kicked out of sparring," Ron said, earning an intense look from Hermione, as if she were trying to get him to see what she was thinking. "Besides, not much is going to happen there without the paper's star reporter," he said smugly. Harry and Ginny, sitting on the same side as Corey, rolled their eyes.

"Speaking of which, now that you have that new camera your father got you for Christmas, why don't you help Justin take pictures at sparring club tonight and knock out a short article about tournament prospects… and try to remain unbiased this time?" she added looking at him sternly.

"It's my unbiased opinion that I'm going to win again," Ron said with a grin. "How's that for an article?"

"I think it's a little early to be predicting winners," Ginny said. "This is only the first round. And if it's anything like last year, we'll be at this for hours tonight to get everyone's first rounds in."

"Well, we'll be long done before you then, so we'll have time to study and relax," Hermione said. Corey knew she was only trying to keep him from wishing he hadn't gotten kicked out of sparring class. It wasn't really working.

"Actually, I have some things to do tonight, maybe some other time," Corey said quietly.

"Without Taylor and me? You've got something to do?" Doug asked looking curious at him. "Snape and Craw will be judging the tournament, so I know you're not with them," Doug added suspiciously.

"No, nothing like that. I'm going to write a letter to my sister," Corey said. "I just hope they let her read it."

"Don't use a regular familiar, Corey, take it up to the Owlery and get one of the head birds to do it," Harry suggested. "They'll make sure it gets delivered one way or the other. Our post doesn't normally go astray like regular post does."

Corey took his time writing the letter, and most of the students were turning in by the time he headed up the long winding steps leading up the to the Owlery tower. He was taking his time, knowing that his aunt and uncle, if not already in bed, soon would be in preparation for a long day on the farm, and perhaps increase the chances of getting a letter to his sister without them knowing it. As he got up in the Owlery, he looked thoughtfully up at the perches where the head owls roosted. Normally those owls were for professors and emergencies, but Harry seemed to think it'd be all right to use one for this. Trusting the older student's judgment he called one down, explaining to it exactly which room was hers in the house.

"Would you please take it to her window and not to the front? Tap the window lightly, and be careful, my aunt and uncle don't take to magic," the owl hooted in understanding and took the letter from the boy and headed out one of the large open windows out of the tower. Corey watched the owl go, gazing after him until he disappeared from the moonlight.

"Good evening, Corey."

Corey turned around slightly surprised to see Professor Dumbledore, standing at the top of the stairs with a calm smile on his face. He walked further in, a letter in his hand, his expression almost amused as he glanced up at the perches above.

"I see you have borrowed one of my favorite owls," he said, "No no, quite all right, Corey. Hethren, would you carry a note for me?" The horned owl immediately came down, taking up the letter. "The normal place, old girl, and thank you." The owl quickly sped away, and Dumbledore looked back at Corey once more.

"I…I'm sorry if I overstepped, but Harry suggested…I mean, I wanted to write my sister and…" Dumbledore put up his hand reassuringly.

"If a particular owl wants to carry a particular letter, who am I to argue?" Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling. "I am sure your sister will be very glad to hear from you."

"I just hope my aunt and uncle aren't awake," Corey sighed. "You don't think that they'd keep the letter from her, do you?"

"Not if she wants to receive it," Dumbledore said. "As long as the two of you wish to keep in contact with each other, you will," he assured him, "and whether or not you do is only up to you two and no one else. Don't let anyone try to take that decision away from you, it's not theirs to make." Corey looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment then nodded. "Please feel free to chose any owl you like to contact her."

"Thank you, sir." Corey said gratefully.

"You are quite welcome. And if I do say so myself, it is nice to hear you talking again. You had us worried there for a bit. You have a great deal of people here who care a lot about you, Corey. Never doubt that."

"They don't care, they only pity me," Corey shrugged with a frown. "All of them are only being nice to me because…because of what happened. I don't want people to be friendly or offer to do things with me just because of that."

"No, I don't suppose I blame you," Dumbledore said with a nod, sitting on the stair rail. "Although I do disagree that's the only reason they're all being nice to you. It's easy, sometimes, to read too much into things when you're feeling unsure of yourself, and fearing that people might feel a certain way might make you think they really are. The best cure for that, of course, is to ask them," he smiled. "And after they answer, perhaps you should ask yourself why you believed their response would be any different." He got up then, heading down the stairs. "Good night, Corey. Don't be too long about getting back to the dorms. You're not supposed to be out this late, you know."

Corey, realizing that he just managed to escape another detention, stepped back from the window and headed down the stairs, quickly and quietly making his way back to the Gryffindor houserooms.

* * *

Jennifer propped her head up on Minerva's desk as Minerva and Severus huddled over notes and formulas, tired but keenly interested. At last, Minerva's long hard efforts had paid off, and she was able to crack the code on the Chaser's scroll, and had asked Severus to double check her work decoding the simplest of the spells. Severus nodded to himself as he looked between the notes and the scroll before finally handing it back.

"Verbatum Syncronium. Interesting little cantrip," Severus said, as he glanced at some of her other notes on the scroll.

"I can't understand why a spell like this fell out of knowledge to begin with. Don't you see how powerful this can be? And yet any first year could cast it," Minerva said, barely containing her excitement as she pondered the possibilities.

"Speech in unison?" Jennifer asked, slightly puzzled.

"Actually, it's more than that, it's a spell to cast for spell synchronization," Minerva explained. "Of course we all know that when more than one wizard casts a the same spell at something the effect multiplies, but there's always lulls in the effect, and you don't really get the power that each of the people are capable of, because it's lost by being not perfectly in time with the others."

"Yes, yes, I know, the Flux Effect," Jennifer said impatiently. She knew Minerva was only lecturing magical theory out of excitement, and not from thinking Jennifer didn't know it.

"But if you cast this spell first, it eliminates the effect. Everyone that is a part of the connection when it's cast that casts the same spell will be in complete unison, and therefore there is no power lull or loss," Minerva explained, grabbing the translation still in Severus' hand and handing it to Jennifer.

"I can see times when it can be useful -" Severus began.

"I sure could have used this on the train ride to Hogwarts this year," Jennifer interrupted as she glanced it over, thinking of all the rocking cars.

"However," Severus continued, nodding slightly to Jennifer, "there are definitely limitations. You have to be in physical contact with any others you want the spell to effect, you will have had to have agreed on a spell beforehand; anyone casting a different spell would break from it, and everyone in the line must let the spell guide their timing. In effect, Minerva, it'll only be useful in a fully prepared situation. It would have been a lot more effective had the creator taken in account situations where it would be more readily needed, such as spur of the moment defense, even if it would make the spell a bit more complex in initializing it."

"But in the right situation, the power of this spell as it is now is unbelievable, and anyone can cast it, even an incoming student. Can't you just imagine what it might be like to have everyone working together in perfect unison against a common threat? The entire school working as one?" Minerva said, bristling slightly at Severus' skeptical face.

"I can," came a voice from behind them, and Jennifer looked back to see Dumbledore standing beside the door with a smile on his face, closing it behind him. "Well done, Minerva, I had been wondering if that had been one of the spells that was on the scroll."

"What do you mean by that? You knew about this spell before this?" Jennifer asked with irritation.

"Of course, Jennifer. I think you still need to brush up on some more Hogwarts history," Dumbledore chided her teasingly as he came nearer. "It is often said that the four founders on occasion cast spells together as if they were one, and I've always suspected that there was more than just personalities in perfect harmony involved," he said, his eyes twinkling. "So, Minerva, now that we have it, what do you propose to do with it?"

"I think we should teach it to everyone in the school, students and staff alike, and go over scenarios in which it should be used," she said.

"Sir, I don't think that's such a good idea," Severus said quickly, shaking his head with a frown. "The staff, yes, but we all know not all the students have the school's best interest in mind, teaching everyone might be…counterproductive. This spell will help focus any group of casters, of dark or light magic. This isn't something to just be handed out to just anyone." Dumbledore listened to Severus thoughtfully, his hands behind his back as he walked over to the fireplace, watching it for a moment.

"You have very valid objections, Severus, no one knows that as well as I. But at the same time, I've always held the belief that the school was strongest when it worked together, and kept together. Hogwarts is first and foremost a place of learning, and not just about the learning of spells and magic, but of magic ethics, personal growths and realizations, and self-discipline. I cannot, as Headmaster, conceivably allow myself to believe that any student that has spent any length of time here doesn't take a part of it with them; no matter what their background, no matter who their parents, no matter what baggage they carry with them." Dumbledore turned around, glancing at the three with a look of determination and unwavering faith. "To trust our students is to trust ourselves, our own teaching, and everything this school stands for. We will teach them all."

Jennifer glanced up at the troubled look on Severus' face, watching him slowly nod. He was reflecting on himself, Jennifer realized, something that Dumbledore had said had got him thinking about the past again. She then looked over at Minerva, who was smiling slightly, but solemnly. Minerva was convinced, it seemed, that this was the right thing to do, and just as convinced that this out of the three spells she had been given, this was the one she had to pass on. As for herself, Jennifer suddenly felt as if they had just started a chain of events in motion, and she was being swept along with it.

It was well after midnight before she and Severus walked back towards their rooms, and Jennifer became increasingly aware that something was bothering him. Finally she put a hand around his arm just after they reached the top of the stairs, trying to get him to look at her. He sighed softly, walking to the door to her room.

"Are you all right?" Jennifer asked concernedly, trying to meet his gaze.

"I think I'm going to go back down to my office for a sedative. I've a lot on my mind tonight," he said, finally looking towards her.

"Something Dumbledore said bothered you, what was it?" Jennifer asked, leaning against the painting. Dewhurst, the raven in the picture, fluttered slightly, edging sideways on his perch so he could see more clearly. "Something about trusting the students with this?"

"No. Well, perhaps partially," Severus admitted. "I am not so sure that we've had as much influence on some of our students as we'd like to think. Seems rather naïve to think so. I can't possibly bring myself to trust them." Jennifer smiled softly at him.

"I don't think Dumbledore ever asked you to trust them," Jennifer said quietly, "rather I think he's asking it of himself to. And personally I don't blame you. The last thing I want to see is Malfoy's gang threatening to double-team some of the other students around here. Not that I wouldn't enjoy hanging them up by their toenails for it later," she added with a grin. "That's probably what he meant by us trusting ourselves."

"No, no I don't think so," Severus said, looking away for a moment. "Go and get some rest, I'll see you in the morning."

"Well don't stay up too late, I know you have an early class tomorrow too. Baskerville, Dewhurst," Jennifer said, the door swinging open behind her as she gave him a quick kiss goodnight and headed inside. Severus then quickly headed back down the main stair; taking the longer route so he could stop in the staff room on his way to the lab.

He strode into the room with his wand out, determination on his face as he approached the closet, then hesitated, looking at it with a frown. Finally he slammed it open, pointing his wand at Humphrey, who looked back at him like a mirror, wand out, squinting at himself…angry, dark, vengeful. Severus slammed the door again. Scowling, he drummed his fingers with anger and irritation on the closet. How could he find a way to disillusion his fear? Make fun of it? There was definitely nothing funny about it. Dispel it? Perhaps fight fire with fire? He forced himself to open the door again, but the boggart was different this time. It was Severus, but not Severus…darker, angrier, its face grey and eyes vicious as he looked back at its counterpart. It raised its arms, its sleeves turned back to show a pulsating Dark Mark as if to strangle the other, fangs bared as it moved as if to attack.

Barking out spells quickly, Severus slammed shut the closet door as a slew of iron chains seemed to materialize from nowhere, slamming in front the closet in winding ropes and locking each other in large padlocks. More and more slapped on with loud rattling and snapping clicks, bars slamming across in every direction. Suddenly there was a loud crash as it fell onto its side, followed by silence as Severus stood, face pale and slightly out of breath, trying to regain his composure, angry at himself for his actions. Taking one last look at it, he threw open the door in the back and headed down the stairs towards the dungeons.

As the room regained its silence, a silhouette stepped out of the shadows in one corner of the room. Dumbledore stepped into the light, with a thoughtful expression on his face as he gazed at the closet, then over at the open door.

* * *

As cold as it was that January, Professor Craw had, almost at a spur of the moment it seemed, decided to hold classes on the Quidditch Pitch. It was a bit of a surprise at first, but not as much of a surprise as when Harry got to the field to see an old locomotive with a filled coal car in the center.

"Wonder what that old wreck is doing in the middle of our pitch?" Ron asked in surprise as he and Hermione walked up behind Harry.

"I'm sure we're about to find out, look, there's the other students gathering near there," Hermione said, and headed over. Professor Craw was sitting on the cab of the locomotive, waving students over.

"Today and for the next month or so, we're going to start studying and experimenting with a different sort of defensive tactic than we have in the past…team defense," the professor told them from her perch, glancing over at her class apologetically. "And before you mention it, no, it's not on the syllabus, and if you read ahead in Advanced counterhexing, er, sorry, we'll get to that eventually." Hermione sighed loudly. "Today, we're going to run a series of experiments that deal with our situation getting to the school this year, and the difficulties of mass vs. power, which I'm sure you all remember from Arithmantics…the Flux Effect, and ultimately, overcoming these obstacles. You might ask, what's this have to do with Defense? Quite a bit, as you will soon see. Right now, however, we're going to use a simple concept, levitation, to show some of these effects off the paper so you can get a real feel for how they work. Get into your workgroups of four, please, and we'll go from there."

Professor Craw then hopped down, helped make sure everyone was organized, and had each group try to lift the train together. Some of them actually got it to shake, and wheels to turn, and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Seamus actually got the front of the locomotive off the ground, coming down with a hard crash after hovering a moment.

"Not bad, not bad. All right, let's see the whole class do it, on my mark," Professor Craw said, counting to three as the students shouted out the spell, pointing their wands. Up the train went, several feet off the ground, shaking slightly from side to side, for a moment. "All right, now put it down gently," Craw said at last. But apparently some of the strength of the combined spell had wavered, and as they tried to set it down it crashed into the muddy, snowy field, sinking slightly into it from the impact. "Hm. Thank goodness for corn fields," she chuckled, shaking her head slightly and grinning at them. "Good job, class, now we're going to learn something new."

The professor then taught them what she called the sync spell, having them each practice saying it several times. Then, one by one, she held each students hand and had them cast it. Harry stepped up curiously when it was his turn, and she took his hand with a smile.

"All right Harry, whenever you're ready," Craw said. Nodding slightly to her, he pointed his wand up making a slight swirling movement as she had showed them and cast the spell.

"_Verbatum Syncronium_!"

Immediately he felt an odd, tingling sensation around him, as if there were a thin web of energy surrounding him, and crossing through his hand into the professor. It was a strange, almost slowing feeling, as if floating in water. When she let go, it still remained for a few moments afterwards, fading away very slowly.

"Perfect, Harry, good job. Ron, you ready?" Craw asked moving to the next. Once she went around to all of them, she head them get back in their groups, smiling at each of them cryptically again as she came back around. "Now, let's see it in action, shall we? Hermione, cast the spell on your group and then step up, and cast the levitation spell at the train whenever it feels right. Try not to fight the spell on you, or it'll break, just let it guide you. Whenever you're ready, Hermione," Craw nodded, stepping away from the train. Calmly Hermione cast the spell on them, the tingling web shooting through her hand to Ron, Harry, and Seamus as she felt herself pointing her wand at the train, concentrating, knowing without looking, that the others were doing the same. In clear, perfect unison, the four called out, "_Windgardium Leviosa_!"

The train did not even hesitate. With all the grace of a leaf in the wind it lifted easily into the air, hovering without shaking or bulking. Just then, Harry heard a gasp from the rest of the students, but was able to hold onto his concentration as Professor Craw walked over and stood directly underneath the train.

"As you can see, with perfect synchronization, a small group is able to accomplish things that a much larger group can't. Granted, this spell is limited partially by the fact that you have to have time to decide beforehand what to cast, but still as you can see, it's a very powerful spell," she smiled, walking out from underneath of it once more. "Would you please put it down gently, group?" Slowly the train descended, lightly settling to the ground. "Well done," she grinned. "Next group please?"

"And then she did it again with the other seventh years," Doug whispered to Corey. Taylor, sitting on the other side of them, leaned over to hear him better. "I had gone out with Julie to watch her practice, and they were still out on there so I saw when Draco's group came up and she stood underneath the train for ages, longer than any of the other groups! Talk about nerves of steel! Me, I was nearly biting my gloves to bits watching it, I was sure he was going to drop it on her."

"I can't believe Craw would put herself in any real danger, she probably had a spell or something up her sleeve in case something went wrong," Corey insisted quietly.

"What would she be able to do? Wouldn't have been much time to do anything if something went wrong," Doug said, shaking his head.

"Corey's probably right, after all she is a Hogwarts professor. I'm sure it was just all for show," Taylor said. "Besides, if she'd put herself in any real danger I'd think Snape would have words with her about it, don't you?"

"Well, he _is_ late," Doug pointed out, glancing around the classroom. As if on cue the door suddenly popped open and Snape entered, glaring at the three from across the room.

"What have I told your three about whispering in my class?" he snapped as the three boys scrambled to sit up front and straighten their chairs. "That's five points off for each of you and if I catch you doing it one more time it'll be fifteen each."

"But Professor, class hadn't actually started yet," Corey said before Doug could stop him, "you weren't in here yet."

"Mr. Willowby, class starts at the same time every day regardless of whether or not I am in the classroom at the time. I expect every one of you to follow the rules whether or not I am present! Now, unless you want to further risk the danger of being the first student in Hogwarts history to run his house points into negative numbers, I suggest you sit back, keep your mouth shut, and pay attention to me, not to Brittle, and not to Brim, while you're in my class."

"Yes, sir." Corey said. Snape stared at him.

"Did I just not tell you to keep your mouth shut?"

"Yes, sir," Corey said. Doug and Taylor gazed at him with their eyes wide.

"Brittle, Brim, face front, I didn't give you permission to gawk," Snape snapped, his eyes flicking back over to Corey. "I want to see you after class, Willowby. I'm growing quite tired of your insolence, and we're going to discuss how we're going to correct that. Now, unless anyone else wants to attempt to undermine my authority, we will get back to our discussion on venom based potions and antitoxins.

"Now that we've covered some of the formulas with prepared type C venom, we're going to look at making anti-venom from fresh venom. I've some sedated specimens here that you all will have the opportunity to harvest the substance first hand. Now pay attention while I show you how to do this, especially to how I've positioned my hand and fingers and I'm only going to show you this once. If you end up flat on your back in the hospital wing when it's your turn and a failing mark you'll have only yourself to blame," he warned them, reaching in and taking one of the sleepy serpents just below the head.

Corey watched with interest as Snape showed them how to extract the venom into a cloth-covered jar, carefully listening to the instruction. Doug watched for a moment, but couldn't help but peer behind him knowingly, then smirking to himself. Gail and Katie were squirming in their seats, not looking too thrilled about the idea of having to handle the snakes themselves. After the incident just before Christmas where Katie left to get sick after dicing slug eels, Doug was of the mind that potions just wasn't most girls favorite class. He finally looked back over as Snape had finished, putting the snake in a different glass container to keep them separate.

"All right, we'll have one to each table. Sedated or no, I suggest that once I bring these out nobody makes any sudden movements or do anything else stupid or I guarantee you the snake won't be the only thing you'll have to worry about," he said, reaching in for another snake. But one the snakes inside had begun to come out of the sedation, for the moment he stuck his hand in one of them viciously lashed out and struck him just below the wrist. Hissing loudly in apparent pain and anger, Snape pulled his arm back, slamming shut the lid. He took a small phial off his desk and loosened the stopper, quickly throwing it into the glass container. A puff of smoke came out of the phial as the stopper came out, filling the container with yellow gas, working to make the snakes sedated again.

"As always, you never want to do any sort of harvesting with any poisonous or venomous ingredients without the appropriate antidote handy," Snape continued, his voice steady but irritated as he pulled up his sleeve slightly. "Now you can see first hand some of the beginning effects of a blood based natural venom first hand. In this particular case, you'll notice immediate inflammation and swelling around the wound, followed by numbness and loss of…" he paused as he held out his arm, looking at it with puzzlement. He then looked at it closer, brushing his other hand against the bite, moving his fingers wildly in the air with an alarmed look on his face. Corey was busy waiting for the arm to swell up, but didn't really see any noticeable difference from where he sat. After staring at his hand for a long, tense moment, Snape looked up, noticing the class' curious stare.

"Memorize the main ingredients and their relative temperatures in your book for the next five minutes while I tend this in my office. And I had better not catch a word or whisper in the meantime, either!" he snapped, then strode into his office.

"That's it, he's finally cracked," Doug whispered, shaking his head. "He's gotten balmy on us, always knew it'd happen." Gail suddenly kicked him from behind.

"Shut up or we'll gag you ourselves, haven't you caused enough trouble?" Gail hissed at him. Doug had turned to say something smart back when Corey nudged him, nodding over to Rasputin who had just lumbered out of Snape's office door, looking over the class with his yellow glass eye.

Corey quickly recited the ingredients when Snape drilled him on his return, leaning back in boredom as he listening to the several of the others he pointed out struggled with theirs. Afterwards they got to work with the snakes, some of the students nervous to touch them after what had happened earlier. Somehow each group was able to get through it before the bell sounded, labeling the phials with their names and setting it in the racks set aside for their class as they filed out of the class. Snape went immediately into his office, slamming the door behind him as Corey looked thoughtfully at it.

"Looks like he forgot about you, Corey, I think you lucked out this time," Doug said as other two got up.

"Best just leave him, Corey, you know how he doesn't like to be disturbed," Taylor agreed worriedly. "It might be hazardous to your health to go in there right now."

"Go on, guys, he said after class, he can't get mad at me for doing what he told me to." Corey said.

"He's done it before," Doug pointed out.

"Not to me," Corey said. "I'll see you next class." He waited until his two friends were on their way before he knocked on the door. After a long moment the door popped open, and Snape frowned at him in annoyance.

"What do you want?"

"You told me to see you after class," Corey reminded him calmly. Snape stared at him a moment before sighing and opening the door wide enough for him to enter. He then went over to his desk, sitting behind the haphazardly organized collection of phials and instruments, barely having enough room left to work in.

"As you can see I'm in the middle of something at the moment, so I'll be brief," Snape set, glancing up at him with a somber expression before picking up an eye dropper, testing a sample in front of him with a few drops of a dark black liquid. "I don't care if you spend your entire school year outside this class room driving your house into the ground…Gryffindor could use a little ego bruising after six and a half years of Potter delirium. But I will not allow you to start disrupting my classroom with your lack of discipline. I fully expect that you keep up your obedience and unwavering attention while in both of my classes, you've already proven that you can maintain that…plus your status as head of the first years and third in Dabbler's. You are capable of it and I have no intention of watching you slip up now.

"Your lack of discipline since we've gotten back from break has left much to be desired. And although I realize you're under a great deal of stress, you are still responsible for your performance and have no one but yourself to blame if you slack off. I'll not have you using your loss as a crutch to help you get away with things. Well, other teachers might, but I won't let you do it my class so you might as well snap out of it. If things don't improve dramatically after this I shall have to be disappointed in you," Snape scowled. "Bad enough being on the verge of having to admit to everyone I actually like one of my students without having to immediately turn around and also be disappointed in them," he grunted, setting down the phial. Corey smiled slightly then quickly hid it when the teacher looked up at him. "I know you have the strength to get through this, no matter what you decide to do about your future. However, I want you to promise me if you start to feel bulking over pressure that you come to me about it, be it schoolwork, your friends in Dabbler's class, or otherwise."

"Yes sir, I will," Corey said quietly, nodding.

"Good. Now get out," Snape said, writing in a small notebook about his latest results.

"Thank you, sir," Corey added as he headed out the door, his voice filled with such sincerity that Snape looked up at him in bewilderment.

"What for?" Snape asked with a slight frown.

"For treating me the same as always," Corey answered with a crooked smile, shutting the door behind him.

"What was all of that about?" a voice hissed from the bottom of a large rock shelf beside the fireplace.

"Nothing, Rasputin, go back to sleep. The boy just needed a little coaching is all," Snape said, pricking himself with a needle and adding the blood droplets to a square pane of glass in front of him.

"I like him. He offers me food sometimes. That reminds me, I'm hungry," Rasputin hissed, slipping off of the shelf, brushing up against the fireplace in attempt to get his eye patch off.

"It hasn't even been a full day since I took the blasted potion, and you're already trying to boss me around? I think I liked you better when I didn't understand you," Severus muttered at his familiar. But Rasputin ignored the grumble, leaning his head patiently on top of his empty bowl until Severus finally gave up and fed him, using the rest of his conference time to run some more tests.


	27. Strengths of Character

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Strengths of Character

The kiss of February refroze the land after a gentle January thaw, and the weeks dragged on as Jennifer found herself drowned in extra work, everything else put on hold as school business took her full attention. It was due in large part to an unexpected resignation of the Hogwart's history professor, who, upon being convinced that he was dead by a certain audacious first-year student, immediately wandered out of the classroom for a word with Dumbledore before fading away. The duties of history then fell to the staff who were qualified to teach it, largely Minerva and Severus, who with the help of the Arithmantics professor, Vector, were able to cover first through fourth year classes. Jennifer had volunteered to take over two of Severus' potion classes when he was asked to teach history in that time slot, and so she too was dragged into the mix. At least fifth, sixth, and seventh were assigned to independent studies and essays, and Jennifer had little doubt that Irma Pince could keep them in line while they were studying in the library.

"I'm done organizing the books and ingredients for you, Professor Craw," Corey said, drawing Jennifer out of her mound of homework marking at her desk.

"All right, Corey, finish your lunch and you can go," she nodded briskly to the boy, flipping over to the next paper and kneading her forehead slightly. But Corey, sitting on the floor near her footlocker, looked at her thoughtfully as he reached over to grab a sandwich off a tray.

"Are you still mad at me? For what happened with Professor Binns?" Corey asked cautiously.

"Oh Corey," Jennifer sighed with exasperation. "I haven't been mad, I've just been busy with the extra work is all. It was bound to happen sometime, but it couldn't have happened at a worse time!"

"At least this is the last of my detentions," Corey said with relief, nibbling on the sandwich.

"Yes, you definitely got McGonagall worked up this time," Jennifer grinned at him, glancing back down at the paper. "She really has low tolerance for students talking back in class and losing their temper. So do I come to think of it. I'd probably done the same thing," Jennifer decided.

"Would you have given me fifteen points for it too?" Corey grinned. Jennifer frowned warningly at him.

"Dumbledore gave you those points not for being out of line, but for helping the poor soul realize it was time to move on," Jennifer reminded him gently. "Sometimes moving on can be painful, but we all need to get on with life, or afterlife in his case, eventually. Things won't get easier until after you do," she added, making little doubt that she was speaking not of Binns now, but of Corey.

"I'm not sure I want things to get easier," the boy admitted slowly, looking blankly at his sandwich. "It seems…wrong to be happy. Actually, everything seems wrong no matter what I do."

"I know how you feel. I went through that when my mother died, and I thought my father was dead. Especially when I came to a decision of something I wanted to do with my life I knew that both of them would never have approved of," Jennifer chuckled, "teaching at Hogwarts."

"Didn't you feel, well, guilty about doing it?" Corey asked.

"Well, there always comes a point in everyone's life when you realize that you have to do what's best for you and not anyone else. I knew that my parents loved me and wanted me to be happy first and foremost, and really no one can decide what's going to make you happy but you," Jennifer said to him gently. "Your parents were wonderful people, they loved you and I'm quite sure they only want you to be happy. There's nothing to ever feel guilty about for doing what you need to accomplish that." Corey ate quietly for a moment, and Jennifer even nibbled a bit on her own lunch as she turned back to the work.

"You ever ask your father what he thought of you coming to Hogwarts after you found out he was alive?" Corey asked after a moment.

"You know, I never have," Jennifer looked up thoughtfully. "But now that you mention it, I think I shall next time I visit," she decided, getting up to answer the scratching at the door. Bending over she picked up a letter an owl had dropped there, groaning loudly when she saw the envelope.

"Oh, great stars! Not another one! Good grief what does the Ministry think I've done this time? I wish they'd go pick on someone else."

"I thought Dumbledore got you off the hook for those three death spell fines from Hogsmeade last month?" Corey asked curiously.

"Corey, I don't know how you heard about that, but I hope you're not repeating it," Jennifer said opening the letter, gaping at it. "Inappropriate storage and use of cursed items without proper licensing? They have got to be kidding! Wait until I get my hands on that skinny long-necked brainless…" Jennifer saw Corey watching her and quickly checked her temper. "I'm sure it's just another clerical mistake," she scowled. "I had specific permission to bring those items here for the class to practice on."

"Wow, Professor, you're the only teacher I know who gets in as much trouble as I do," Corey grinned, shaking his head.

"Are you finished with your lunch yet?" Jennifer said, tapping her foot. Corey quickly got up deciding not to push his luck any further, putting away his tray. Jennifer popped open the door in annoyance to usher him out just to jump back in surprise to notice Dumbledore standing as if ready to knock on the other side. "Sir! Uh, sorry, please come in. All finished, Corey?"

"Yes, Professor Craw," he grinned and sidled out the door. Jennifer quickly closed it behind him, shaking her head.

"He seems to be doing remarkably well," Dumbledore commented with a slight smile.

"He's coming around, yes," Jennifer said in annoyance, then noticed Dumbledore was still watching her. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't mean to be wound up, but I just got another one of these again," she said, her temper rising again as she handed Dumbledore the letter.

"Just this moment?" Dumbledore said slightly surprised for some reason.

"A moment before you came. I can't believe they've done it to me again! Improper use of cursed items indeed! I've expert level documentation in curses and dark magic, everyone knows that, and how come if this was such a problem it didn't come up last year when I first brought these things in?"

"Calm down, Jennifer, I'm sure it's all just a simple misunderstanding," Dumbledore said, holding a hand up.

"Professor, there's been more misunderstandings sent to me this year than any other teacher, even Severus. Shouldn't they be more concerned about finding out what Voldemort and his lot are doing instead of sneezing every time I cast anything? First the paper and then these, I'm so tired of these personal attacks." Jennifer said, pacing.

"I couldn't agree more, Jennifer. I have every intention of following up on this and the paper problem. You are right, it does seem to be getting a bit out of hand."

"A bit? Professor, I just want to know why everyone has turned against me all of the sudden," Jennifer said, looking to face him.

"My dear, I know you don't _really_ believe that everyone has turned against you. In fact I would say you have nearly an entire castle full of supporters, including me of course," he smiled, looking at her from above the rim of his glasses. "And if you ever really do think everyone has turned against you, feel free to come to me and I'll help dispel the notion." Jennifer felt herself relax, suddenly embarrassed at her flaring temper.

"Thank you sir, you're right of course. I'll let you handle it. What was it you wanted to speak with me about?"

"Ah, yes, I've found a temporary replacement for History, just until the end of the year. The schedule will have to be drastically reworked in unusual time periods, however, because I've managed to get Francis Pyther to agree to come in and teach for a while. We've already started to clean the classroom in the lower dungeon for him, and he should be taking over next week."

"But Professor! I mean, Pyther is a great choice, he's a fountain of living history, but…what about Severus?" Jennifer asked worriedly.

"Oh, I spoke with him about it first. He's not particularly happy about it, but after I reminded him it was his turn to organize O.W.L.S. this year he relented," Dumbledore said with amusement. "I am so glad the three of you took that trip to Germany. I believe it definitely had a positive impact on both of them."

"Too bad it didn't help us find the Tomb," Jennifer sighed. "Lately, I've been getting the strange sense that time has run out to find it and if something isn't done soon, it'll be too late." Dumbledore's face suddenly took on a serious look, frowning thoughtfully.

"You are the third person who has come and told me that in the last week. Harry and Severus have also come to me separately and mentioned it," Dumbledore said seriously. Jennifer felt a strange chill around her, gazing back at him with matched concern.

* * *

Corey did somehow manage to get all the way to dinner without getting into trouble, and was glad to be able to rejoin Doug at the table, sitting close to Harry and his friends hoping to hear the latest gossip. As it turned out, he wasn't disappointed.

"There's Snape and Craw now," Ron pointed out nodding up at the table as the Professors, accompanied by Hooch entered and sat down. "She seems calm enough, perhaps she hasn't heard yet. I know she doesn't read the paper anymore. Got sick of it, I think."

"Well I don't blame her," Hermione said, glancing up at them. "The nerve of anyone saying all those things about her, not one wit of it is true! After all, everyone knows Craw's one of the leading experts in item curses in the country. Not to mention she had permission from Dumbledore to teach us how to dispel them, that's her job, after all."

"They've got their wires crossed this time for sure," Ginny agreed. "You know Dad wouldn't ever allow them to fine her for that."

"Are you all talking about the letter from the Ministry Craw got today? Because if you are, I was in the room when she got it," Corey said, causing everyone to look up.

"Craw got a letter from the Ministry today?" Harry asked. "How do you know that's where it was from?"

"She was pretty mad about it, something about cursed item storage and licenses, had a hard time controlling her temper in front of me even. Then Dumbledore came in to talk to her and she shooed me away. What happens to professors who get in trouble, anyhow?" Corey wondered.

"Nothing's going to happen to Professor Craw," Hermione assured him. "Dumbledore himself gave his permission to use items in class. He's not about to let them get away with it."

"Wait a minute, how could the paper have known about this at all if it just happened today? The mail and papers get delivered at the same time, but the paper had it in copy before she even got the fine?" Ron asked. Harry looked around distractedly before turning his attention back to Ron. "Sounds like the paper must have an informant in the Ministry."

"Oh that's not good at all. Who knows what else they might find out and put in the paper?" Ginny said, looking at Harry. Harry nodded slightly, rubbing his scar absently.

"Let's go talk to Anna about it after dinner," Ron suggested, "now that she's working for the Ministry, maybe she'd have some idea where it might be coming from."

"Are you all right there, Harry?" Hermione asked, looking at him concernedly as he rubbed his scar, gazing about it apparent confusion.

"I don't know. I keep hearing something…voices, tons of them." Harry said, shaking his head quickly as if trying to clear it.

"Harry, we're in the Great Hall. Of course you hear voices." Ron said, giving his friend an odd look.

"No, this is different, these are hateful, whispering voices, but it's all jumbled what they're saying, there are so many of them," Harry said.

"Strange…the last time you heard voices, it was when that ancient basilisk was in the pipes," Hermione murmured thoughtfully, looking at him. "Could it be?"

"Snakes! Tons of them…an army of snakes!" Harry said suddenly, "And if I can hear them they must be close by!" He suddenly stood up, looking up towards the head table, and noticed that Snape had been watching him, a look of puzzlement and alarm on his face. Once Harry stood, Snape leapt to his feet and out the back of the hall, leaving Craw and several of the other professors looking at him in surprise. They then turned to look at Harry, who ran up to Dumbledore.

"Voldemort's getting ready to attack the castle!" Harry said as Dumbledore and McGonagall rose to their feet. "There's an army of snakes approaching. I can hear them."

"All right, everyone, you know what to do. Harry, go and join your classmates," Dumbledore said quickly, ringing the glass to get the rest of the room's attention. He needn't have bothered, however, for all eyes were already on him. "Our enemies are close at hand, and it is time that they learn that this school can not be taken by force. All students who wish to participate in the ground defense will get their coats and meet Filius in the courtyard. Everyone else report to the dormitories."

Harry went back to his seat looking at his friends with a serious look on his face as some of the other students, including Doug and Corey began to get up.

"Aren't you going to join the defense team?" Corey asked them, wondering why they hadn't moved yet.

"I am," Hermione said reassuringly, reaching over and squeezing Ron's hand a moment before she got up. "Everyone be careful, okay?" she said before joining the other prefects at the head of the lines.

"Come on, Corey," Doug said, impatient to get going.

"You go on, I want to talk to Harry a moment," Corey said, sitting back down. Doug shrugged and followed Hermione. Several other students came to over to them, and Corey quickly recognized them as the other members of the Quidditch team, as well as a couple of Harry's classmates.

"So you're going through with it?" Seamus asked, leaning over the table.

"We didn't work all this time for nothing. And I really want to try Ron's plan. Perhaps we can finally stop this madness once and for all," Harry said. "What did you want Corey? I'm rather busy at the moment," he asked, just as Draco, Crabbe, Justin, and the Patil twins reached them.

"Look, I don't know what you're doing, but I want to go with you," Corey said. Draco rolled his eyes.

"You weren't invited Willowby, why don't you go play with the other first years?" Draco said giving him an icy stare.

"Corey, please go on with Hermione, okay? You don't even have a broom, and you're already in enough trouble without getting into more," Ron said. "Now go on with you."

"Ron's right, Corey, it's too dangerous. You can help out better by joining the ground defense," Harry said gently. But Corey hadn't moved, watching Harry steadily.

"You're going after him, aren't you? After him and his followers?" Corey said quietly, as everyone at the table exchanged glances. "I want to go. If I need a broom, I'll borrow one. He killed my parents too, you know," he said, his eyes determined. Harry studied him thoughtfully.

"All right, I'll let you use my old Firebolt." Harry said, getting up.

"You can't honestly think he can keep up on a broom. He'll just end up getting us all killed," Draco protested, eyeing him with extreme dislike.

"Shut up, Malfoy, no one says you have to come along. I'm sure we can find someone else to lead the Slytherin team," Ron growled. "Besides, he would probably just follow us or tell someone where we were if we didn't take him." Draco gazed at Corey as if debating whether or not to stay, but backed off when the rest of them stood up, including Parvati and her sister who both gave him a disapproving frown.

"We'll meet behind the storage gate in five minutes," Harry said. "Hermione's already convinced the rest of the other prefects to cover for us, so please try not to mess up. We may only have one shot at this." The rest of the students nodded, and headed to their rooms to get their things.

Jennifer dashed down the Owlery stairs wondering where Severus had taken off to. Hoping he wasn't doing anything irrational, the young defense professor headed out to meet the others at the outside wall. To one side Filius had lined up the students, and just as she came in full view she witnessed a spectacular sight as a blinding light made up of many strands shot out towards the lake below. There was a slight tremble beneath her feet as a sheet of crystal jetted up out of the water, sealing off the cavern entrance to Hogwarts. It didn't take Jennifer long to figure out why they had done it, for at the edge of the lake was a writhing sea of snakes, two feet long each and black, entering the water in a chaotic swarm. Dark clouds choked the full moon light and the sky grew dimmer and dimmer, making it difficult to see exactly where the lead edge was, but the blackness seemed to continue all the way to the train station, blanketing the entire grounds south of the castle in serpents. Standing at the edge of the steep embankment was Minerva, looking out over the lake steadily as Jennifer headed over to her.

"I don't recognize the breed…poisonous, no doubt?" Jennifer asked.

"I expect so, although I do not recognize them either," Minerva admitted. "Have you seen Severus?"

"Not since he left at dinner," Jennifer frowned in concern. "Where's Dumbledore?"

"Right here," Dumbledore said calmly, coming up beside them. "I had to have a word with Filius. And don't worry about Severus. I sent him out on Ruby to take a look around."

"Professor! They're almost to the halfway point," Filius shouted over to them. Dumbledore nodded with a determined sparkle lighting his eyes.

"Very well, fire! Or should I say, ice?" Dumbledore said. In unison, several hundred students under Filius' directing pointed their wands towards the lake; shouting out, _"Freeze!_" in a solid clear voice. Another large beam of light, this one tinged with pale blue, shot past the three standing at the edge and hit the water full force, instantly turning it to ice. It quickly spread out from the center of the lake encasing everything in it, leaving some snakes writhing halfway embedded helplessly, and many others stuck underneath it.

"There, that should slow them down a bit," Dumbledore said pleased. Jennifer uncovered her eyes and looked over at it in awe. But strangely enough, the snakes on the shore did not seem intimidated by the fate of their counterparts, and began to carefully work their way onto the slippery cold surface.

"I don't understand. How could he possibly have this much control over so many?" Jennifer said as another swarm began to emerge from the shoreline.

"I'm not sure that he does, or at least that he has as much control over them as he'd like," Dumbledore mused. There was a stiff beating of wings, and the three looked up to see Severus descend on the pegasus, looking even more solemn than usual.

"Voldemort and about a dozen Death Eaters are just beyond the station near the Dark Forest, just beyond the grounds border. There are no other creatures, but there seem to be an endless supply of snakes. These aren't normal snakes, Professor, they don't seem to have an individual consciousness; it's as if they were coming from the same spell."

"So many? From the same spell?" Minerva asked in amazement. Jennifer found herself getting a sinking feeling, getting dreadfully suspicious.

"They're voracious, all they seem to be concerned with is finding as many targets as possible, and don't seem to care who they strike. In fact, I think they'd turn on Voldemort in an instant if he hadn't control over them. However he's doing it, I think the control is strained, if we can find a way to break it he will be as susceptible to these vermin as us, if not more so since he's closer."

"Vermin...this isn't vermin..." Jennifer said suddenly gazing out in horror over the lake. "This is pestilence! The snakes are the vessels of the Plague spell!" she said, trying to keep herself calm. "He's found the Tomb, there can be no doubt of that now!"

"Good lord, and they're in the water!" Minerva said. "They might contaminate the cistern!"

"We have to be careful how to exterminate them. If we try to kill them they might spread the plague to the air, they have to be killed with fire," Jennifer told Dumbledore who quickly nodded.

"Filius, cast a still air spell over the entire grounds, and then try to construct a barrier around the school, it needs to be quarantined immediately," Dumbledore said.

"Professor Flitwick, no wait! Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione ran up suddenly, looking frantic. "We can't close off the school yet! Harry organized the Quidditch teams and a few other good flyers and they're out there on their own," she blurted out. "If we seal it off now, they might get shut out."

"Severus, go see if you can find them. Even if you cannot, meet us back here in ten minutes. Filius, go find Filch and check the charms on the water and make sure it's filtering this out. Jennifer, take over the students and do what you can do to stop the spell from spreading. Minerva, go get the scroll and meet me back here in a few minutes. It's high time we tested that other spell we decoded."

"Where are you going?" Minerva asked suspiciously as Dumbledore began to walk away.

"I'm going to go to have a few words with our assailant," the Headmaster said calmly, and walked into a thin mist.

"There they are," Harry pointed out as the thirty three students hovered above the edge of the forest, hoping to blend in with the shadows of the tops of the trees. "Just as I thought, they're standing within distance of the tunnels in case they can't Disapparate out."

"At least we outnumber them. Looks like there's only about a dozen of them, we got over twice that many," Ron said.

"If you don't count the snakes," Harry said grimly. "And there's something odd about them. They speak in the same language but they don't behave like snakes at all."

"Well at least they can't fly," Ron said. "They won't be able to get to us so long as we stay on are brooms. But it's strange there are so few Death Eaters here, when we know he's got tons more now. Why would he risk trying to take on Hogwarts with so few, especially with Dumbledore at the school?"

"Dumbledore's not in the school at the moment," Susan said, staring wide-eyed below them.

"Yes he is, he was at dinner, remember?" Justin reminded her. "What are you looking at? Whoa," he said suddenly. Corey, trying to listen in, careened his head forward so he could see what the squad leaders were looking at. That was when he saw Dumbledore, walking calmly out of the mist hovering around the forest and heading towards the thirteen figures.

"Wait here," Harry told them. "But watch for my signal. If you see it Ron, you go ahead with your plan."

"Alright, Harry, be careful," Ron said. Harry slowly lowered his broom, and Corey, waiting only a moment for him to get slightly ahead, lowered his own and followed, ignoring the urgent hisses from Ginny and Ron as he did so. He had every intention of seeing the person responsible for his parents' deaths, and nothing was about to stop him from it.

The heavy fog and mist around the Dark Forest cloaked around them as they neared the ground, leaving Corey slightly frustrated for the unclear view. Harry, however, quietly set his broom on the ground and shrugged off his cloak. Corey blinked, for Harry's body had disappeared, and as he watched Harry's hand pulled on something by his neck and the rest of him disappeared as well. Corey wished he'd thought to bring an Invisibility Potion but hadn't, so had to resort to more mundane measures, dismounting and lying flat and still on the ground so he could see below the fog. He succeeded in only getting a good view of Dumbledore's back, but decided that was going to be about as good as it was going to get. It never occurred to him that he was also in the line of fire had they decided to attack the wizard.

"Do not bother to try. I've come under a Veil of Parlay," Dumbledore was saying, waving off the wands pointed in them as if they held no power at all. "I see you have acquired the Staff of Eyre. I had been wondering exactly how you were able to curb the spell's appetite. I had not known it had been left in Salazar's Tomb, but I can surmise that was where you must have got it from."

"Whatever game you are up to, Dumbledore, it is pointless. I now have knowledge even you have not acquired. Your school is defenseless against the powers I now have. You failed to keep me from the Tomb that was by blood only mine to claim, and your students will have mere hours to live as the plague takes hold of your precious school," Voldemort said with hatred and apparent disgust.

"I always knew this day would come, Voldemort, that you would begin to believe your own lies. You've told them for so long, persuaded so many…so many good people to listen to them; it was inevitable that you yourself would fall prey to them. I knew the day would come when you would make that third mistake, the one that would finally start you down the last few steps to your own final destruction. So I have come to say goodbye to you, Tom, for we will not meet again. It is a pity that you allowed your hatred and quest for revenge to carry you to such an evil path, and quite regrettable that you would not listen to my council when I offered it so long ago. At least I succeeded from allowing many others I hold dear to fall in your clutches, and I am also quite proud of all of those who chose death rather than follow that same path. For what you fail to realize is although you may now know all the spells of death, you hold no power over it. Those who pass on escape you forever, and those who cause it only doom themselves to its service. It'd do well for your followers to remember that, for perhaps it's not too late for all of them," he said thoughtfully, glancing at the cloaked figures. "Well, I have said my peace, and I will leave you now, for I believe you are going to have your hands full in a moment. Farewell, Tom," Dumbledore said. The mist suddenly gathered around him and he faded into it, leaving Voldemort standing there clutching the staff in seething anger.

"This may indeed be the last time we meet but it will not be I who will be leaving," Voldemort growled angrily, raising his staff towards the lake as another wave of snakes seemed to rain down out of an ominous cloud just above it. "Yet he will have the pleasure of watching those he cares about die around him first!"

"I wouldn't count on that, Voldemort!" a voice shouted out from the darkness. Voldemort and several of his followers spun about, looking for the origin of the voice.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort hissed. "I should have known you would not cower in the castle. Come out, boy, and witness the true strength of darkness! You wish to destroy me, don't you? To be the hero you always imagined yourself to be? Well, now's your chance," he said, smiling mockingly. "Don't be shy, this is your last opportunity to save your friends from certain death."

"Do you really think I'm stupid enough to try and face you when you have twelve others here to defend you?" Harry's voice said. "And what of your own 'friends,' Voldemort? Many of your followers have children in Hogwarts at this very moment. Do they all know you're in the process of murdering them? But then why wouldn't you, you've already made certain they'd all die if anything happened to you with that Dark Mark of yours. I bet you haven't gotten so many followers since that news broke, have you?"

Corey was then aware that one of the Death Eaters was heading towards him, and he cautiously crawled backwards a bit, holding his breath. For a moment, he had thought for sure he had been seen, but the Death Eater passed by him instead, searching the other side of him.

"Oh, their sacrifices will not be in vain, Potter, for with them all of my enemies will also fall, and nothing will left in my way," Voldemort hissed.

"_Your_ way, never _our_ way. Listen to him, Death Eaters, don't you see what he's doing? Whatever he's promised you, whatever he's threatening you with, he's just using you! If he'd kill your children, you think he'd pause to kill you? Maybe it's time you faced the facts. Now, Ron!"

A blinding flash of sunlight lit up the area as Voldemort yelled out in rage. Flying around them came thirty-one students on brooms, never staying still enough to become targets. On the ground, Corey scurried onto his own broom to join the ranks, watching curiously as the light began to dim. The cowls on the Death Eaters had been ripped away, and although Corey didn't recognize them, he was sure some of the other students did.

"Not one student parent here, now I understand why you came with so few this time. You didn't want them to find out, did you? What did you have planned for your own followers who turned against you afterwards, Voldemort?" Harry's voice asked. It was then as Voldemort looked up that he recognized two students looking down at him from their brooms, their faces pale and expressions icy cold.

"What are you two doing here? How dare you be helping him? You will die for betraying me!" Voldemort shouted, breaking into a rage when he saw Crabbe and Malfoy.

"The way I understand it, we were dead anyhow," Draco said coldly. "Who has betrayed whom, Voldemort? The only reward you had in mind for any of us was death. I follow only the will of my father, and in his name I officially denounce you as a traitor and an enemy of our family!"

"Then you die first," Voldemort hissed and pointed the staff at Draco. But just before he finished casting the Unforgivable Death spell, another voice near to him was shouting, "_Expelliarmus!_" and the staff he was holding was flung to the ground.

"Now!" Harry yelled, and the entire force yelled out, "_Stupefy!" _In complete unison, and Voldemort went flying back and suddenly vanished. "Damn it!" Harry cursed as he pulled off the hood of his cloak, grabbing the staff.

"All right, nobody move! We're not afraid to use these!" Ron ordered, pointing his wand at the remaining Death Eaters. "You might as well stay, we got you all on film, and it's going right to Dumbledore. You'd be safer at this point just surrendering calmly I think."

"Watch it, everyone! Look at the snakes!" Justin cried out. Corey glanced over to see that the snakes, once heading only for the school, had begun to spread out, heading in every direction. "Harry, do something!"

"I don't know how to make this thing work!" Harry shouted back.

To make matters worse, a dreadful, chilling sound howled nearby…the howl of a wolf. A second howl joined over top of it, but the second one was different, as if it had a note of warning in it. They both seemed to have come from the woods.

"Now what are we going to do?" Ron asked. Corey looked expectantly at Harry, who was sighing softly. Harry was about ready to let the Death Eaters go, when he noticed a large group running towards them from the station.

"It's Dad!" Ginny said, landing beside Harry, "And he's got a whole slew of others with him."

"Nobody move!" Arthur Weasley called as he ran up with his wand out, several of his guards heading towards the robed figures, blinking in amazement when they saw some of the folk among them. Coming up beside him was Anna Hughes, quickly trying to take in the situation, gnawing on her lip slightly when her eyes met one of the figures. "Good heavens, Ederick, is that you?" Arthur said in shock.

"Ederick Thurspire, Deputy Minister of investigations is a Death Eater?" Someone hiding behind the line of ministers said excitedly, trying to get a peek. A short thin man wearing a long pointed cap with a large silver pin engraved with the word, "PRESS" bobbed in the crowd, trying to get into a position to take photos.

"And here I was thinking I'd finally get an exclusive," Ron muttered.

"What's that light over the castle?" Parvati suddenly asked. Four strands of light of different colors had braided together to form a single beam at the end aimed at one of the towers of Hogwarts. Then, a winged beast larger than anything Corey had ever seen before soared into view, followed by another and another…circling the castle proper.

"Wow! Dragons! Real live dragons!" Corey said excitedly. "You don't think they're attacking, do you?" he asked, suddenly worried about Snape and Craw. Determined not to lose another set of parents without a fight, Corey kicked the broom forward into high gear, shooting off over the lake.

"No, Corey, wait!" Harry cried out and took off after him despite the shouts of the others.

* * *

Severus landed Ruby and walked over to where Jennifer and Minerva were standing just as Dumbledore appeared to join them.

"I saw no signs of them on the grounds or over the lake, sir," Severus said with exasperation.

"Well, they aren't inside the castle, I'm certain of that," Minerva added.

"It's all right, I know where they are," Dumbledore said calmly. "Harry has quite a few students with him, in fact, including Corey."

"Corey?" Jennifer looked up from the spell she was studying, handing it to Severus. "Where is he? What are they doing?"

"They are, if I'm not mistaken, about to try and take on Voldemort and his men on the other side of the border," Dumbledore said.

"What? And you just left them there?" Severus snapped in surprise.

A howl sounded faintly in the distance, joined by another, more urgent howl. Severus and Jennifer glanced at each other worriedly.

"Severus, memorize that spell Jennifer just gave you, quickly now, the four of us shall cast it together. We must do our part, just as surely as they must be allowed to do theirs," Dumbledore said firmly, glancing at both Severus and Jennifer. "We can not protect them all the time." Dumbledore reached in his robe and took out a large wand case that Jennifer recognized immediately as the one her wand came out of. There was only one left in there, the black one, and she watched as Dumbledore gently took it out and closed the case. "Severus, I'd like you to use this wand when we cast the spell, if we're going to do this, we might as well do it right. I'm sure that the wand's curse won't affect you now," Dumbledore said, offering the wand out. Severus studied Dumbledore for a long moment before he nodded and took it, handing the scroll back to Minerva. Dumbledore then took Minerva and Jennifer's hand, and Jennifer took Severus' as the spell sync was cast over them, the familiar webbing feeling draping over them.

"Aim it at the Owlery," Dumbledore said with a gleam in his eye. The four professors, with the founders' wands in hand, raised them up in unison as the words to the spell tumbled into the air.

"_Familarus transforme ignis animus_!"

Jennifer watched as a deep blue strand came from her wand, and blinked in amazement when the other wands held different colors, red, yellow and green, even though the same spell was cast. Unlike other times that spell sync had been used, the four lights seemed to intertwine with each other instead of go out like one source, and as it touched the owlery, a burst of colors sparkled through air. From the tower a string of owls took flight, and just as they cleared the tower an incredible transformation occurred as the owls grew in size as the Familiars to Firebreathers spell took hold.

With the power of the four professors, the spell quickly turned the feathered faire into an arsenal of dragons that swooped experimentally as they tested their new form. It did not take them long to figure out what was they were meant to do, and with deadly accuracy the dragons began to torch the snakes as they approached. A large hawk, her size muted by the great forms around her, dove through the onslaught to light on the embankment, returning to her human form as she touched the ground. Madame Hooch strode quickly up to the four with a firey look in her amber eyes.

"The snakes have broken control, Professor, like you said they would. They're starting to dart out in all directions," Rolanda said. Without a word Jennifer quickly ran over to the students, quickly getting their attention and having them get back in sync.

"We can't wait any longer, everyone prepare to cast barrier of force and aim it between the lake and the station, concentrate on trying to encircle the castle with it," Jennifer instructed them, then turned to face it, adding her own power to the hundreds of students standing with her.

"_Murus orbis!"_

A crackle of power could be felt around Jennifer as she cast along with them, a surge of power unlike anything she'd ever felt before. From the point that they had started a shimmering haze appeared, wafting back over them and running in a dome formation using them as the center, walling off not only the castle but also the Quidditch grounds, part of the forest, and a small portion of the mountains behind them. Now that that was done, there was only the cloud itself to worry about, for Jennifer was quite certain it was still producing snakes, and would for hours before it would finally run out of steam. Even with the owl turned dragons, this was going to pose a problem. From what she read, the spell they had just cast did not last longer than a few minutes, and other methods of fire would require them to get closer. She had to take out the cloud, she knew. Jennifer went over again and again in her mind how the spell was cast, hoping to find a weakness. _Every spell had a weakness_, she coaxed herself. _Every curse has a counter, and every cloud…_bonking herself in the head for missing the obvious, Jennifer took out her broom and hopped on, pushing it forward as she headed towards the cloud. It was hovering over the lake near the edge of the forest, and Jennifer veered her protesting broom into a sharp angle. The broom, to its credit, was doing everything in its power to keep Jennifer astride it despite her insistent maneuvers, already forcing the automatic to go faster than it was charmed to do. But as she neared the cloud and began to circle to get close enough to cast, Jennifer had also gotten uncomfortably close to the edge of the trees. Determined to do its job to keep her safe, the broom jerked forward away from branches, and Jennifer, trying to fight it, finally pulling the broom straight up. Panicking to try to get a better hold of the broom, Jennifer lost her grasp completely and slid off the end, falling towards the snake infested waters below. Strangely enough she felt herself slow down as a gentle breeze surrounded her from above her, watching in confusing as her broom smacked into the shallow water so hard it broke into pieces. It was her hair barrette, she realized with a start; the raven and dove had suddenly come alive, flapping with unnatural strength to slow her descent. But as she looked down she realized that her danger was far from over.

Excited to have a victim at last as she landed in the water, several of the snakes quickly latched onto her as she struggled to escape, sparks flying from her wand as small jets of fire burned off the snakes as even more began to gather around her. She scrambled to the shore, weak and her stomach churning from the bites, coughing painfully, taking a potion just to keep herself steady. She had just turned towards the lake to draw a line of fire between her and the line of snakes when she heard a very loud howl from the forest behind her. Slowly she turned around just as the creature broke free from the woods. The werewolf had only one arm, but its claw was covered in silver colored Unicorn blood. Sickened from disease, Jennifer tried to cast, but no magic came from her wand as the beast suddenly came charging forward.

Just then she heard an angry neigh and saw someone leap into view from above, putting himself between Jennifer and the werewolf. Like reliving a nightmare, Jennifer heard herself shouting out Severus' name as the werewolf bit deep into his wand arm, hearing him cry out. Reaching into his pocket, Severus took out a pouch and beamed the werewolf in the face with it as powdered wolfbane poured out, causing it to let go. Fearing for Severus, Jennifer found some renewed strength and forced herself to her feet, reaching in her cloak for her silver dagger. But before she could try to get near, another wolf bounded from the woods and tackled the first from behind and the two tumbled into a fierce battle. It lasted but a few moments, but to Jennifer, standing there afraid of hitting the wrong one, it seemed to go on forever. The one armed wolf, weakened already by the powder, took off into the woods followed closely by the other, the two of them disappearing into the brush. Grabbing a piece of cloth from her pocket and covering her face, Jennifer rushed to Severus side where he lay wincing from the pain of his mangled arm.

Choking back tears, Jennifer conjured up some bandages, carefully pulling back what was left of his sleeve as he gritted his teeth. She tried to keep her mind from racing, but it was too much to bear. Severus certainly must have been infected; the bite was too deep for her to believe otherwise. A bite for which she knew there was yet to be a cure.

"Hold still, Severus, please, try to relax, everything's going to be all right," Jennifer said, her voice wavering, her own sickness forgotten as she worked to bandage his arm.

"Never mind me. We need to get you out of here, your face is as grey as stone," he said weakly. "What were you thinking taking off like that? I thought you'd finally grown out of that spur of the moment insanity!"

"I was trying to get to the cloud, I think I know how to dispel it," Jennifer explained, wincing as he did as she wrapped his arm. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting to fall off my broom," she explained, realizing at once how idiotic that sounded. "How do you feel?"

"Oh, you're worried about…no, Jennifer, I'm all right, everything's going to be all right," Severus assured her, trying to sit up.

"Of course everything's going to be all right," Jennifer said as her eyes watered, nodding fervently. "We can work through anything as long as we're together."

"Jennifer, look at me," Severus demanded, grabbing her shoulder with his good arm insistently. "I took the Potion, Jennifer. That is was what I wanted to talk to you about before all this broke out. The effects of bites and poisons no longer affect me, nor does contagion," he explained as her eyes went wide with surprise. He pulled down the cloth off her nose and mouth. His face then turned grave. "I am fine, but your lips are turning blue now we need to get you to the hospital wing," he said, finding the energy to get up.

"Professor Snape! Professor Craw! What are you two doing out here?" A young voice called from above.

"I could ask you the same thing, Corey Willowby," Severus snapped weakly. "Stay up there, Potter!" Harry, who had been getting ready to land to try to help, hovered back up to Corey's side.

"Professor, Voldemort got away, but there's something in the forest, we just saw it, and it's inside the shield, something I've never seen before…" Harry started.

"Whatever it is will have to wait for someone else to deal with. Jennifer is sick and we need to get her to the castle," Severus said, helping her to her feet.

"Not until I dispel that cloud," Jennifer said stubbornly.

"I'll do it, just tell me what to do!" Corey volunteered, concerned over her appearance.

"That spell was my responsibility to guard," Jennifer said stubbornly. "It's my responsibility to clean it up when it's misused. Besides, I'm not sure this counterspell is going to work, and you don't need to be around if something goes wrong."

"You two had better get back to the castle. I'll take her up," Severus said.

"No, I'm going to make sure you get back all right," Corey said. "I've already lost my real parents, I'm not about to lose the two who are going to be my new ones!"

"I'm going wherever Corey's going to make sure he stays out of trouble," Harry said.

"Can we please just go?" Jennifer said before launching into a series of coughs. Severus and Jennifer somehow managed to get on Ruby's back and the four of them, two on broom and two on the winged horse; spiraled towards the cloud that was even still dropping snakes onto the ground. "Stay back you two," Jennifer insisted as they neared, and gathering up the rest of her strength she began to chant softly to herself:

"Every spell has a dispel, every shadow has a light, every cloud has a silver lining." After saying it over several times until her focus cleared she pointed at the cloud, calling out in a strong voice, _"Argentium nimbus!" _

A brilliant silver light shot out of her wand and struck the cloud, and suddenly the cloud became lined with pure light. The light grew stronger and stronger and consumed it completely, the counterspell consuming it so quickly and completely that the cloud became a beacon of light so bright that the surrounding area was lit up as if it were midday. The beams surrounded the snakes in their path, and they disappeared, disintegrating as if they had never been there. Temporarily blinded, the four struggled to get farther away from it, trying to clear the spots from their eyes.

"Good lord, Jennifer, you could have warned us," Severus said as he tried to guide the blind Pegasus towards the castle lawn. "The entire sky is lit up. I wonder how far this light stretches?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know it was going to do that! I just made the damn thing up half an hour ago," Jennifer explained, coughing weakly, feeling incredibly dizzy.

"You cast that spell cold?" Severus said in total amazement. But Jennifer, exhausted from the sickness and the spell, suddenly fell unconscious and Severus quickly grabbed a hold of her, wincing as he coaxed Ruby down with his injured arm.


	28. The Gauntlet

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The Gauntlet

  Jennifer woke in a comfortable bed, staring at the ceiling.  She recognized the room at once and found herself remembering the last time she had been put in this room of the hospital wing.  Had it only been two years ago?   Suddenly she heard the door softly opening, and looked over to see Severus slip in, mildly surprised to see she was awake. 

He came and sat on the edge of the bed, his right arm seemingly well again.

  "This isn't how I'm supposed to wake up," Jennifer complained, grinning weakly at him.

  "I would never have let you sleep so long had it been my choice," Severus said, feeling her forehead.  "You've been out for a week."

  "A week?  Ugh, I'm going to be so behind," Jennifer said trying to sit up.  Severus pushed her gently back down.

  "And from what I hear, Dumbledore and Poppy plan to keep you hear another week, so you might as well try to relax.  Are you cold?" 

  "Very.  You don't look cold at all, though," Jennifer said.

  "I'm roasting, thank you, they have this room turned into an oven.  If only you'd stop taking off without telling me!  I could have saved you a lot of trouble had you come to me with your plan first before taking off," Severus grumbled.

  "You're the one to talk about not telling things.  What about that potion?"  Jennifer asked.

  "Well, I wanted to be sure what all it had changed before I told you about it, if you want to know," Severus said.  Jennifer stared at him.

  "You took a potion without knowing completely what it did?  Severus Snape!  Talk about throwing caution to the wind, you're Potions Master at Hogwarts and you don't know better than to take a potion without knowing what it did?"

  "Now don't get yourself all riled up on my account.  You're supposed to be resting.  When it became obvious to me that I was the one who needed to take the potion, I went down and talked to Icarus after one of my visits to your father and made sure the 'price' he spoke of wasn't anything that'd kill me or damage our relationship in any way.  Once I was assured of that, I decided it was time to take that chance, and it's a good thing that I did.  Where would we be now, if I hadn't heard the snakes or if I hadn't been immune to that bite?  And what about you taking the chance casting a new spell without even testing it?  You could have lost your teachers license over that if it hadn't worked."

  "We didn't have a choice," Jennifer shrugged defensively.  "What was I going to do, stand and watch while the snakes found a way to make us all sick?"

  There was a knock at the door and Dumbledore came in with a smoking goblet, smiling when he noticed her awake.  Severus got up and sat in a chair on the other side of the bed, nodding to him.

  "Good to see you with your eyes open again, Jennifer.  Good morning, Severus, I trust that you aren't getting her too excited her first day awake.  And how are you feeling?"

  "Cold," Jennifer said, sitting up slightly as her pillows were raised from behind her. 

  "Drink this, it'll help some," Dumbledore said.

  "What is it?"  Jennifer asked.

  "Oh, something I concocted on my own," he said, his eyes twinkling at the scowl on Severus' face.  "Now, Severus, you have your secret recipes I have mine.  What matters is that it works not who made it."  Jennifer drank the warm amber liquid feeling a rush of warmth in her cheeks as she finished it, handing it back.  "Yes, I see that's made a difference all ready."

  "Does that mean I can get back to work soon?"  Jennifer asked hopefully.

  "I'm sure we can arrange having some of your paperwork sent up here if you're bored.  I have Severus, Filius and Minerva helping fill in for you until Poppy releases you," Dumbledore said.

  "I finally get out of those dratted History classes, and now I have to teach Defense," Severus chided her.

  "As if you didn't prefer Defense, anyhow.  I hope you don't have them scared too badly by the time I get back," Jennifer teased.

  "Hm, scared no, intimidated perhaps," Severus offered.  Dumbledore chuckled slightly and stood back up, patting her hand.

  "Well, I'll let you two finish catching up.  Severus, the moment she seems tired, you let her sleep, now, the more rest she gets the sooner she'll be back to her old self again," Dumbledore said, leaving the room.

  Over the next week, Jennifer had quite a few visitors of both staff and students, often chased away by Severus or Poppy, determined to let her recover.  What little time she was awake between them she had decided to start working out her plans for that year's gauntlet for seventh year finals…a large labyrinth style test filled with obstacles to test the students' defense knowledge.  She'd adopted the idea last year and met with great success, and was having fun working on the design for this year's test.  She put it aside when Harry came to visit, recounting to her for the first time what had happened with Voldemort during the battle.  She listened thoughtfully as he recounted Draco's denouncement, wondering what others might follow that lead.  There could be little doubt now that the Death Eaters were starting to crumble from within, and that could only mean bad news for their leader.

  "Do you know if Lupin is okay?  He took some bad bites that night," Jennifer asked.

  "Oh, yes, it seems right after I went after Corey, Sirius showed up to talk to Anna.  When the barrier went up he took the rest of the flyers to the old mansion until the quarantine was lifted, and Ron said Lupin was there when they left in the morning, collapsed on the couch downstairs.  He's staying at the cottage right now though, helping Anna take care of Sirius," Harry explained.  Jennifer blinked.

  "What's wrong with Sirius?"  She asked.

  "Nobody's told you?" Harry said in surprise, "He was attacked by a wraith."

  "A wraith?  A wraith here?"  Jennifer said, sitting straight up.  "No!  But there hasn't been a wraith reported in England in years, they were all chased out in 1536…"

  "Yes, yes, I know, I take your class remember?  But Dumbledore seemed awfully convinced it was a wraith when he came over afterwards.  I think we might have lost him entirely if it wasn't for the fact that someone Anna had sensed he was in danger and collapsed to go protect him.  She was at the school at the time, that's how Dumbledore found out what had happened and got there to try and help.  He thinks that perhaps the wraith had been there for awhile, we just hadn't realized it because the banshee was so close by."

  "Yes, sidhe of any kind repel wraiths," Jennifer nodded thoughtfully.

  "Well, someone has killed the banshee.  Her dust was found the same night as the attack.  Firenze actually came out of the Dark Forest and talked to Dumbledore right after the last of the snakes were gone, and told them that her death was going to cause catastrophic events and that the forest would see more evil enter it than ever before," Harry said.  Jennifer leaned back tiredly, looking worried.  "Sirius is going to be all right now though, Dumbledore says it'll take some time, but he'll probably be up about the time you're on your feet again."

  "I'm glad to hear that everyone's all right," Jennifer said with a sigh.  "But why does it seem that every time we stop one thing two more things come and take its place?" 

  Just then, Severus entered with a stack of books in hand, squinting suspiciously at Harry when he saw the look on Jennifer's face.

  "Well, I guess I better get going, Professor.  I'll be very glad to have you back in the classroom again. It's just not the same without you," Harry said, getting up.  Jennifer smiled slightly, seeing what he wasn't saying as well.

  "Thanks, Harry," she smiled at him, as he hastily made his way out of the room.  Severus watched him steadily until he left, closing the door behind him.  "Why didn't you tell me about the wraith?"

  "Oh, is that what that was all about," Severus scowled.  "Dumbledore didn't want to worry you about it until you were well, but yes, it appears that the banshee is dead, and it is quite possible that a greater range of unsavory creatures might be roaming the forest from now on.  We'll have to be much more careful now.  I doubt anything will happen so long as we're on our guard."

  "You always say that," Jennifer said, shaking her head slightly and smiling at him.  "Everyone can't be on their guard all the time, Severus."

  "Perhaps not, but don't let a student catch you saying that, you're the Defense Professor." Severus reminded her.  "Here are the papers from the first years.  What's that you're working on?"

  "The Gauntlet.  I'm almost done, want to see?"  Jennifer said, handing it over.  She traded for the homework paper, sifting through them.  She paused at Corey's copy in amazement.  "I don't believe it, complete essay questions?  And they even make sense?  What did you do, hang him up by his toes?"

  "Well, not for very long," Severus said in a tone Jennifer had learned to recognize as humor as he looked over her map and notes.  "Hm.  Nice layout, but not much of a challenge yet, is it?  What do you have planned for the main obstacles?"  Jennifer looked up and stared at him.  He was being serious.

  "Those are the main obstacles," Jennifer said.  "You really think it's too easy, don't you?"

  "I'm not saying another word.  Every time I offer you any advice on teaching you nearly snap my head off, and you're supposed to be resting so I don't want to argue.  Besides, it's your class, if you want them to be able to coast through that's your choice, although I might be a tad worried about some of their safeties in the real world," Severus said, handing it back to her.

  "I have elements of every single thing they've covered in their class in the maze."

  "Yes, presented individually, but out there things don't come at you one by one, as you well know.  You've spaced these all out in such a way even a first year could get through it even though they haven't seen half of this stuff."  Severus said.

  "Oh now, you're going too far.  I might not be out to hurt them, but there's certainly no way a first year student can possibly run this Gauntlet."  Jennifer said, irritated.

  "All right, I'll make a deal with you," Severus said folding his arms.  "Let's go ahead and build this thing as soon as you feel up to it. I'll find a first year volunteer to run it.  If he's able to get through it without a scratch and within normal time limits, then you will let me help you build one we both feel is fair."  Jennifer drummed her fingers on the papers thoughtfully.  She felt strangely like she was being set up, but at the same time she really wanted to prove once and for all that she didn't need his advice.

  "All right, you're on," Jennifer said, glancing at her notes, "but I wasn't quite finished with this so you'll have to let me finish what I'd already started."

  "Add away," Severus said, kissing her gently.  "But try not to overextend yourself.  It can wait until you are better." He got up, leaving her to her work as she fussed with the papers, quite aware that she was watching him leave from the corner of her eye.  The moment the door was shut behind him, Jennifer scrambled for her seventh-year book, pouring through the pages wondering what else she could possibly throw into the trap.

  The last of the chill left her and her strength returned, and Jennifer was quite glad to get back into the classroom, frantically trying to sort out what had been covered in her absence and back into her routine.  As springtime flourished and Quidditch got back into full swing, Severus was privately relieved that Jennifer's broom was beyond repair, quickly giving him an excuse to take over referee and field security.  Instead, Jennifer spent her extra time building the test, sticking as closely as she had to her original design while still adding a few more challenges.  In a small raised tower just above the maze, Jennifer sat in the late afternoon sun running the final tests when Severus finally found her.

  "Filius is looking for you.  He wanted to know if you still wanted to take a look at the Staff before it gets sent to the Minister of Artifacts," Severus said, leaning on the tower.  "This will be your last chance before it gets sent tomorrow."

  "Oh, I know.  Dumbledore thought I should go look at it too.  I just wanted to finish this today, and, I think I have!  At least good enough for a test subject," Jennifer grinned and climbed down.  "I don't suppose you've a volunteer for the Gauntlet yet?"

  "Actually, yes I have, and I'm sure he'll be ready any time you would like to run it," Severus said, avoiding her gaze as he opened the door leading back into the castle.

  "Who'd you get?  Casper?" Jennifer asked curiously, and Severus shook his head at her, making a face. 

  "Please.  He'd probably get lost the moment he got away from the entrance.  No, I asked my Gryffindor-Ravenclaw class, and actually got several volunteers, that is until I explained it might be life threatening, but we'd be sure to have a stretcher to the hospital nearby…" Jennifer stopped and turned around with a knowing look on her face.

  "In other words, you manipulated it so Corey Willowby would be the only one excited about doing it.  You cheater!" Jennifer said, hands on her hips.

  "I didn't cheat," Severus said indignantly with a stark look on his face, "he volunteered by his own free will."

  "Ha!  You know as well as I do that Corey is by far an ordinary first year student!"

  "Yes, but by your own admission he's not the top of the class either," Severus pointed out.

  "Sure, because he doesn't turn in homework!  That doesn't mean his applied knowledge isn't above average and you know it."  Jennifer argued.

  "If I remember correctly, the deal was if _any_ first year could get through it?"  Severus said.  "But if you want to concede so we can go ahead and get started on a real test…"

  "On a _real_ test?"  Jennifer said.  Several students hanging outside the library looked up curiously at her raised voice.  Sighing with irritation, Jennifer turned into the hall towards Filius' office.  "We'll run the Gauntlet after dinner," Jennifer said, feeling her temperature rising.  Part of her knew that he was only trying to help, but ever since they had first met, she had felt that he always had reserved criticism for her teaching.   Why had it always bugged her so much?   It suddenly occurred to her that he had always been the only person inside the school who had ever said anything about her teaching at all.  Perhaps that's what was bothering her. 

  Corey found himself the center of attention at dinner when he 'accidentally' slipped out that Snape had asked him to try his luck on the Gauntlet.  Both first and seventh years huddled around him.

  "No one has been allowed back there for the past two weeks," Ron said, "she refused to give us a story for the paper on it."

  "Of course she did, Ron, you really think a professor wants their tests revealed almost two months ahead of time?"  Hermione said.

  "So, Corey, when you get through that thing, you're going to tell us what's in it, right?"  Seamus asked, winking at him.

  "Wull, if I get through it, Snape said they're going to work together and come up with an even worse one, so it wouldn't do you much good in any case," Corey said.

  "What?  Snape and Craw making one together?"  Neville said in a near panic.  "Corey, you wouldn't be willing to take a dive if it looks like you'd get through it, would you?"

  "Hey, that's a pretty good idea, what do you say, Corey, we'll make it worth your while," Seamus said.

  "You're forgetting Craw's a Truth Seeker.  She'd nail me for sure, and Craw's pretty scary when she's mad," Corey said.  Ginny nudged Corey, trying to get his attention.

  "Oh, go on, Corey, she can't be all that bad," Doug said from the other side of him, egging him on mischievously.

  "She keeps Snape in his place, don't she?" Corey said.  He heard someone clearing her throat behind him and nearly choked on his pumpkin bread, setting it carefully down.  He looked behind him with a cheerful, slightly nervous smile.  "Professor McGonagall?  Lovely evening, isn't it?"

  "Yes, isn't it, Mr. Willowby.  I just thought I would come by and let you know I'll be joining you and the professors this evening to help keep things fair.  I also thought I might come over and offer you some advice.  First, I wouldn't be getting it into your head to repeat anything you might find in the test, because I can assure you that Professor Craw intends to change it enough so that any information you bring out would be useless to those who my be interested in learning it," she said, her eyes wandering to other members of the table, who were pretending to only notice their plates.  "And also, I'd advise you not to try anything to make things easier on your upper classmates later on by failing on purpose, you wouldn't be doing them or yourself any favors, and I might accidentally slip and let the other professors know about this conversation on the subject," she added, her eyes darting over to Seamus and Neville, who looked uncomfortable.  "Good luck, Mr. Willowby," she said, wandering up to the front.  Corey exhaled, grimacing slightly.

  "Leave it to old McGonagall to put a damper on an opportunity," Doug said, and Corey nodded heartily in agreement.

  Night was just beginning to fall as Professor Craw escorted Corey out to the west side, and the sounds of day started to dull, replaced by the more subtle sounds of frogs and owls and crickets.

  "Now Corey, the way this works is once you step in the Gauntlet, everything inside will appear completely real to you, even though in reality…with a couple of exceptions…it's really just a collection of spells and illusions made to simulate the real thing.  Remember the object isn't to hack your way through; it's to defend yourself on the way through.  Use your head first, spell later," she instructed.  "I realize most of the things in there you'll have no knowledge on.  Just remember what I taught you that first month…common sense is your most important asset, and don't let your fears get the better of you, keep a clear head.  If you get in trouble or feel you can't continue, just send up a signal and we'll pull you out, ok?" Jennifer told him, pausing in front of the maze.  "You won't see us when you get in, but we'll be right up there," Jennifer said, nodding to the small wooden platform raised slightly over the Gauntlet where McGonagall and Snape were talking.

  "Thanks, although, I don't know why you're telling me all this.  I know you want me to fail," Corey said.  Jennifer smiled and sighed slightly, shaking her head at him.

  "Professionally, there's nothing I'd like better to show Snape I know what I'm doing so I can tell him to mind his own business.  But I don't want you to fail, far from it.  And really, so long as you do your best, there's no way you can fail.  There's no shame in admitting defeat either, just use your judgment.  We know you've got some brains in that mischievous head of yours.  Let's see if you can use it," she said, knocking playfully on his head.  Corey grinned and saluted her, and at her nod he stepped in as the maze around him began to change and he saw himself standing in the Dark Forest.  Jennifer quickly headed up to the platform, sitting on the other side of Minerva.

  "Quite a setup, Jennifer, reminds me a bit of the tri-tournament games," Minerva said, peering at where Corey was standing, trying to chose between three paths.

  "Yes, Harry told me about it a few years ago that's how I got the idea," Jennifer admitted.  "It didn't seem to make any sense to me to have a huge written test for a final for a subject like this, so I'm glad Dumbledore let me do it.  This is a little more elaborate than last year…"

  "I notice you didn't use Peeves this time," Severus smirked.

  "I also learned a bit from my mistakes, thank you," Jennifer said sticking his nose up at him, turning her attention back to Corey.  He had chosen the most lit path, the third one, and Jennifer nodded.  "He shouldn't have any trouble with the first trap on that route, that's the willow and will'o'wisp trap," Jennifer admitted.  Just as she thought, the moment he studied the lights trying to guide him under the tree he knew something was wrong.  Muttering a spell he called a blue wisp light into his hand to attract their attention and made it float into the distance, the white wisps following it like moths to fire.  The tree itself posed a different problem, for Corey hardly believed their trying to lead him there was an accident, even though the corridor farther in was in the same direction.      

  Cautiously Corey picked up a branch and threw it, and suddenly the tree moved and snatched it out of the air in anger, working to shred it.  So that's it, he thought, he was going to have to distract it to get past it.  Gathering up a pile of leaves and moving it cautiously just in reach for the tree, he cast _flamare _on the leaves, making the dry pile burst into flame.  The tree frantically began to beat on it with its branches, allowing Corey just enough time to pass through to the other side.  He entered then what appeared to be a swamp area.  As he carefully worked his way through the muck, making sure nothing hazardous was in his way, he heard something moving around in the water, followed by a hissing sound.  Well, Corey thought, he had enough dealing with snakes now to last him a lifetime, one more wouldn't matter.  Perhaps he should just petrify it when he sees it, he thought, taking a few more steps towards the next path.  That was when he saw her, half serpent half woman; her hair slithering as she came out of the wood.  Corey dove for cover behind a tree, incredibly glad she was facing the other way, or he would have been lost for sure.  And although they had not covered gorgons in class before, Corey knew enough of Muggle mythology to know what they did.  Well, he thought, he could make the area dark so that her gaze would not stone him, but then it would be too dark for him to see the exit, and Corey had little doubt that she, being a reptilian like creature, had much better vision in the dark than he did.   If he only had a mirror, he thought.  It was then he glanced thoughtfully at the water.  He did have a mirror!  Or at least, he could have if the water wasn't so murky.  Holding his hand out to the water he cast a purification spell, watching the fogginess begin to clear even as the hissing noises got closer.  Closing his eyes tightly, he then cast _luminus_, lighting up the area with bright light as a slight screech of surprise erupted nearby, falling suddenly silent.  Slowly opening one eye, listening for the hissing sound, he peered around the edge of the tree to find the creature had gotten quite close indeed, but had chanced to look in the water around her, and was now caught with an angry expression on her stone face.  Corey relaxed noticeably, leaning on the tree a moment, wondering how many of these things he was going to have to figure out before the end.

  "Two down, six more to go," Severus said calmly.  Jennifer, who was unconsciously biting her thumbnails, nodded curtly.

  "He's having to stop and think things through.  If he keeps up at this rate he won't make the time limit," she commented.  But to her surprise, Corey zoomed through the fire hound trap, creating enough steam from his water spell that he could rush past with minimal burns, and was able to fight the shadow fiend by animating his own shadow and sending it after it.

  "There's only one creature trap left before the advanced dark curses traps," Jennifer told Severus and Minerva on the platform, "and if he remembers what he's already learned in fear training, he shouldn't have any trouble with the boggart."  But Severus suddenly looked worried, glancing at Jennifer then intently towards Corey.

  The boy stood thoughtfully in front of the cave, wondering what sort of monster he was going to have to pass this time.  Perhaps a dragon, he wondered?  No, that was probably too obvious.  Keeping one hand raised guardedly, he began to walk past the cave, trying to keep alert to any movement.  Suddenly a familiar shape moved into view, dark, menacing, angry, hurt, and disappointed all at once.  It was the ghost of Corey's father.

  Color drained from Jennifer's face as she saw the boy step back and a chill went through her.  How could he possibly face this fear now?  When he didn't even know what a boggart was?

  "I'm getting him out of there," Jennifer said suddenly.

  "You might be right, perhaps it'd be better…"

  "No," Minerva said, cutting Severus off in such a firm tone he and Jennifer both looked over at her.  "Let the boy decide if he's ready to come out or not.  He's going to have to deal with this sooner or later."

  Corey took a step back, waiting for the words he dreaded to hear from his father.  They never did come…his father only stood there, looking angry and disappointed.  Then strangely the face changed, and it became his mother, sad and disapproving, giving him an expression she normally reserved for when he she thought he was being a deep family embarrassment.  Corey took another step back, and found himself against a tree.  _What am I doing_, he asked himself_.  My parents aren't really here.  This must be a part of the test somehow.  _But Corey also knew that Craw would never have done anything on purpose to have this happen.  No, it was triggered by something else, himself, he realized, and his own deep fears.

  "This isn't real," he said quietly to himself, staring at the figure.  "I don't believe it!  They wouldn't be disappointed in me, I only feel that because…because I was here at the school, safe and having fun at the festival, and I couldn't do anything to stop it.  But it wasn't my fault then, and it isn't now!  _Avert Phantasm!"_

  Jennifer knew that that disillusion spell wouldn't work on the boggart directly, but indirectly it left it trying to figure out how else to scare the boy.  At that moment however, angry and determined, Corey feared nothing, and actually got a glimpse at the hideous little creature behind the images before the disgruntled boggart slinked back into the cave.  Jennifer and Severus exhaled and relaxed a bit, as Minerva gave sideways glances at each of them, smiling slightly to herself.  As Dumbledore had suspected, the contest had been forgotten in concern for the student, and Minerva knew no matter what happened, everyone was ready to support him. 

  Corey had walked into a new section, no longer feeling as if he were in the forest. Instead he appeared to be walking in a brick maze with bare floors and nothing above but the open sky.  Suddenly an intense cramping sensation came into his limbs as a strange light enveloped him, and he found himself on the ground in pain, wincing and gritting his teeth.  He relaxed as best he could hoping the muscles would stop tightening, and at last they did and the pain subsided as if it hadn't occurred.  Finally he tried pushing himself up, but the moment he put any pressure on his arms and legs they cramped again, and he laid down on his back and let it go away, looking thoughtfully up at the sky and wondering how he was going to get past this.

  Up in the tower, Jennifer leaned back, wondering if he was finally going to have to signal.  Severus glanced at his watch and sighed as the hour drew nearer. 

  "What spell is on him again?  I don't recognize the signature," Minerva asked.

  "It's called the Reflex Curse.  It's a dark spell that used to be used in the Middle Ages to subdue wizard prisoners.  Uncomfortable but harmless… any one of the pain counters taught in fifth year would stop it.  Of course, he hasn't had any of those," Jennifer said, watching him thoughtfully.  Corey turned his head towards a brick arch, wondering how he was going to get there.  Then he raised his hand slightly, pointing to his shoes.  Suddenly they lifted up in the air and Corey upside down along with them, wincing slightly as his hand began to cramp as he guided the levitation spell towards the arch.  Getting passed it he dropped the spell and fell to the ground, scrambling at once to his feet, looking incredibly relieved.   Slowly, walking with even more caution than before, Corey headed around the corner, his hand protectively in front of him.

  It was not long before a large face appeared in the brick wall, staring at him ominously.   Corey took a step back, staring at it warily, watching as the face turned to look at him, its eyes seemingly taking on a presence of their own as it gazed at him menacingly.

  "Go back!  You must go back!" the face whispered.  "You have no choice, you must obey my will.  Go back the way you came!"  Corey stared at it a moment as he caught himself taking a step back.  He really wanted to go back, but he wasn't sure why.  Jennifer had warned them about command curses, and he was sure this was one of them.  But why shouldn't he listen?  It sounded like such a reasonable request!  But then, again, he thought, mustering up the strength to speak while trying to keep his feet from going back any further.

  "Why must I go back?" Corey asked.

  "Your will is my will, you must go back.  You will only find death ahead.  Go back!"  Another surge of compulsiveness hit him, and Corey took another step back, finding himself at the arch.  Suddenly remembering what he had just gone through a moment before with the last curse, he told himself he was not about to go through that again.  Putting his hands in the pocket of his coat he took out a several threads and muttered a transfiguration spell, turning it into its original state of fluffy wool and stuffing it into his ears tightly.  Taking a deep breath he headed back past it, watching the face form he covered his ears as it shouted louder and more insistently before to go back.   "GO BACK, STEP BACK NOW!"  It yelled, causing Corey to pause.  But he didn't move back.  Instead he somehow forced himself in a run, launching himself down the corridor quickly picking a path, anything to get away from the voice.  Panting to get his breath, he slowly took the wool out of his ears, as he looked down the next turn to see what was beyond it.  It was a door.  Glancing up, Corey could clearly see that he was standing at the edge of the maze, and even could make out the shadow of the tower on the brick wall.  So the illusions were over, and all he had to do was go out the door?  Corey was skeptical.  He didn't believe he'd get out so easy.  Surely there was a catch.  And knowing Craw… raising his hand he cast the basic identify spell.   The spell hit the door, making it have a strange black aura.  No doubt about it.  The door was cursed.

  Corey frowned in annoyance.  He wasn't going to learn unhexing items until fourth year.  Craw had only taught them how to detect them so they could stay away from them.  How could he possibly get past a curse that he didn't know how to find, let alone to dismantle?  Corey paced with irritation.  He couldn't believe he'd gotten this far just to hit a wall…or in this case, a door.  A soft bell sounded, and Corey suspected that meant he was nearly out of time.  He chewed on his lip thoughtfully a moment, then remembered something he learned in his Book of Impractical Spells, and grinned wickedly.

  "Well, it would have been more fun trying this on Amadeus, but it just might work," Corey said to himself.  "And if it doesn't, well, I won't be able to get past this one trying to dispel it anyhow."  Glancing at the door for a moment he moved over to the wall  beside it and took out a piece of chalk, marking off a space on the wall the same size as the door.  Pointing at the marked wall with his hand, he then intoned, "_Wall slide and Portal hide_!"  With a loud rumbling, grinding sound, the door slid over in front of him and the wall he had marked out suddenly shifted into the door's place.  Corey exhaled and stepped over to where the marked wall moved, drawing a knob on the door.  "_Alohomora_!"  The chalk-drawing door suddenly opened, and Corey waltzed through, grinning with triumphant relief.  He immediately found himself being hugged by Professor Craw who didn't seem a bit mad that he had just foiled her gauntlet.  Minerva and Severus followed behind, both of them smiling slightly although attempting to keep a straight face.

  "I've never seen such unorthodox, highly irregular solutions in my entire life, Corey Willowby, but I must admit I'm surprised and, well honestly," Jennifer said, darting a look to Severus before reluctantly continuing, "quite humbled to see you come out of there more or less in one piece."

  "Why?  I learned most of it by watching you," Corey said with a grin, leaving Jennifer speechless.  "You're the one that told me just to think things out, and everyone knows you never go by the book, how can you expect us to?"

  "I didn't teach you how to move cursed doors, and where exactly did you learn that spell, by the way?"  Jennifer asked, hands on her hips.

  "From a spell book I got for Christmas, but I wouldn't have even thought of it if you hadn't told us no matter what not to touch cursed items if we didn't know what it did.  So I had to find a way to get out without doing that," he explained.

  "Well!  I'd say it sounds to me as if this little contest came out a tie, don't you?"  Minerva said, looking at the other three.

  "A tie?  What do you mean a tie?  Corey made it out, so I won.  There were no contingencies here," Severus snapped suspiciously.

  "Don't forget, Severus, I've been watching right with the two of you through the whole test.  And I can safely say that this test is well above normal first year level.  However, I think this also proves, especially with Corey's own admission, that Corey as well as Jennifer's other students have been taught, and successfully so, well above a first year defense level," Minerva said calmly.

  "There was never any question of that," Severus muttered in annoyance.   Jennifer squinted at him.

  "From the way you talk…" Jennifer started but got cut off by Minerva who stood between them and stared at her.

  "That's enough, Jennifer, not in front of a student.  He's not adopted yet and he doesn't have to listen to it yet.  What I was trying to convey before I was interrupted was that you have done splendidly these past three years, and no matter what happens I want you to believe that.  But the question is whether the test should be at a text book seventh year level, or if it should be made to be an evaluation of their true aptitude, now I think you know the answer to that on your own," Minerva smiled.    Jennifer sighed and nodded slowly, glancing back at Severus.

  "You're right, of course, Professor.  I am sure we will have it up to a more applicable level by the end of next month," Jennifer said, glancing up at Severus who nodded to her, gazing at her gently.

  "And in the meantime, I think Mr. Willowby deserves some points for his volunteerism and ingenuity, if there are no objections, I think twenty points sounds about right," Minerva said with a smile as Corey whooped with joy.

  "But that means I actually earned more than I lost this week!" Corey said excitedly.  "May I be excused?  I want to tell Doug about my points!"

  "And about the Gauntlet, I imagine," Jennifer grunted.  "Oh, go ahead and brag you little rascal, the whole thing is going to be redone anyhow," she said nudging him slightly. 

  "Thank you, Professor Craw!   Oh, would it be all right if I checked out a few of the higher-level Defense books from the library?  I kind of want to see what I should have done and all, some of those were really tricky," Corey added.  Jennifer's jaw dropped, momentarily speechless.

  "Er…we can talk about it after your next class, if your homework's done," she added quickly, watching the boy nod.

  "You can count on it, Professor!" Corey said with a salute before heading back in the door.

  "Well, miracles do still happen, I see," Minerva smirked slightly.  "Time to call it a day; Dumbledore will want to see me in the morning, I should think."

  "Minerva," Jennifer said suddenly as they slowly began to make their way to the door.  "What did you mean by no matter what happens?  You didn't just say that, something in your face said you were worried about something."

  "Oh, Jennifer, I worry about a lot of things," Minerva said, quickly turning to open the door.  "But don't fret about it, you have quite enough to do without trying to figure out everyone else's troubles.  And that goes for you too, Severus," she added, before waving and heading towards the main stairwell.  Jennifer and Severus exchanged glances.

  "You know I do believe Dumbledore is beginning to rub off on her.  She's beginning to get as vague as he is," Severus commented.  Jennifer couldn't help but to grin, but even still couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than what she had been willing to say.


	29. Conflicts of Interest

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Conflicts of Interest

As it came to pass, Jennifer didn't have to wait long before she found out what was bothering Minerva. The next evening after classes, Severus and Jennifer decided to spend dinner doing the potions inventory so they had time to start on the new Gauntlet. It wasn't long before Jennifer, sitting on the class desk looking over numbers, realized that they didn't match.

"Here we go again, every Monday it's the same thing. It has to be happening on Friday or over the weekend," Jennifer said. "This time the discrepancies so far are with bone powder, wisp oil, and slippetal," she said, looking up at him. "Does that sound familiar to you?"

"Sounds like the main components for Death Augury," he nodded then headed over to a different case, taking over to another container. ".5 kilos of moth wings. And we haven't used them in any class lately," he stated, looking over at Jennifer expectantly.

"Down from .75. I don't think it's a coincidence, Severus. We'd better let Minerva know it's still going on. I don't suppose Corey would know?"

"No, they're not telling him much these days, and we kept him too busy this weekend for him to do his normal little spying. Not that I encourage him," Severus said quickly, "but we both know he does it. At least no one has gotten in my office in a while, although I hoped they would now that I can find out easily from Rasputin who's in there…"

"Maybe we could try to set up a convenient time for them to get in?" Jennifer suggested. Severus looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Not a bad idea. I think I'll try it on my Dabbler's class," Severus said, "Perhaps we will finally get to the bottom of this." A quick knock on the classroom door brought their attention forward to where Minerva stood. There was a strained look on her face that made Jennifer quickly put down the ledger and stand.

"Jennifer, would you please join Professor Dumbledore and Vice Chairman Balmweed in his study, they'd like to speak to you for a moment," Minerva said.

"Balmweed? What is he doing here and why weren't we told, Jennifer is supposed to be on guest escort…" Severus began looking suspicious.

"Under the circumstances, Dumbledore didn't think it was appropriate. Jennifer, I know I can't lie to you and you'll find out soon enough, but the reason Dumbledore has been absent lately is that he and the board have been going around lately over a few things, and some of them concern you," Minerva said.

"Why weren't we told about this before?" Severus demanded, and Jennifer could almost feel the temperature in the room rise as his temper started to build. Jennifer walked to the front, gently touching his arm as she passed.

"Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long," Jennifer sighed. "What with all that in the paper, it was only a matter of time I suppose. Dumbledore said last time I got in trouble that next time he was going to let me deal with it, and I suppose it's time I did."

"Well, I'm going as well. I want to hear what's been going on," Severus said, scowling at Minerva, almost expecting her to say no.

"Very well, but let's get going, shall we? Stay calm, Jennifer, it'll be all right, you can be sure you have Dumbledore's and my support, and will stand behind you no matter what," Minerva said as they headed up the stairs.

"I wish you'd stop saying that," Jennifer muttered. There was nothing reassuring about those words, and Jennifer had little doubt that this was just as serious as she was envisioning at the moment.

The Vice Chairman was an elderly wizard in appearance, but much younger than Dumbledore just the same. Silver robes of simple design but made with expensive fabric draped towards the floor where the man sat in the red high-backed chair in front of the desk.

Jennifer couldn't help to note the unusual and alarming flash of fire in Dumbledore's eyes and was immediately glad that it didn't seem to be directed towards her. Instead the gaze was centered on the Vice Chairman, who to his credit was doing a remarkable job of keeping it calmly in check. They both looked up as Minerva led the other two in the room, blinking in surprise as his eyes fell on the breathtaking woman standing behind Minerva. This surely must be Jennifer Craw, but she was already not what he expected. Noticing Jennifer's eyes studying him, he suddenly remembered she was a Truth Seeker and quickly pulled himself together.

"Vice Chairman, this is Professor Jennifer Craw. Jennifer, this is Norman Balmweed, Vice Chairman of the Board of Magical Education, and a member of the First Order of Equinox," Minerva introduced, quickly stepping out of the way. So, he was a scholar of the old magics, Jennifer thought. Not quite as prestigious an order as Merlin, the order was still as old and was reputable.

"Ah, yes, my grandfather had been a member of your order, sir," Jennifer nodded calmly in greeting. "What can I do for you?"

"I am afraid I come to you to deliver this letter to you from the board," the Vice Chairman explained stiffly.

"Under deep protest of the current Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster," Dumbledore added.

"All right, it's already noted, and I'm sorry, Headmaster, but we've already gone through all that," Balmweed said, handing her the letter. "It is a request from a majority of the members of the board for your resignation, Professor."

"What?" Severus snapped, charging forward from where he had been standing by the door. "That's the most preposterous thing I've ever heard of! What grounds could you possibly find to try and railroad one of the best teachers in this school with?" he demanded, standing behind Jennifer trying to read the note.

"Excuse me, Professor, but this does not really concern you. I only asked to see Professor Craw," Balmweed said, trying to sound stern.

"Like hell it doesn't, if it concerns her, it concerns me. Let me see that, Jennifer," Severus said, trying to get her to hand over the letter.

"Professor Dumbledore, please," Balmweed sighed.

"I must agree with Professor Snape, Vice Chairman, especially considering some of the charges it most certainly does concern him," Dumbledore said. "If I have to listen to him, so do you."

"Use of banned spells on school property," Jennifer began to read out loud. Guilty, she knew, but the times that she had used them were emergencies, and had been cleared of any charges. "Student endangerment?" she blinked, wondering if this didn't have to do with the cursed items. "Student bias," she felt her temperature start to rise. "Public perception and questionable reputation…indiscretion of personal relationships? I protest this is ridiculous!" Jennifer said looking up hotly and letting Severus grab the note out of her hand. "We have gone completely out of our way to be discreet!"

"Sir, considering I spoke to both of them about this issue when it first presented itself, I must whole heartedly agree with Jennifer," Minerva put in, "They have been nothing if not discreet, in fact no one was even aware they were involved until nearly a year after the fact, and only then so they could announce a formal engagement, which the entire staff supported their decision to do so. I do hope you're not basing this solely on that poltergeist incident, Mr. Balmweed, even a child knows they cause mischief just to amuse themselves whether it true or not."

"There were also several students who came forward and reported that they'd noticed Professor Craw going into Professor Snape's rooms after hours," Balmweed said sternly, looking at both of them this time.

"Considering that the students are forbidden to leave their dormitories at night, I'd wonder about the integrity of your sources if I were you," Severus snapped. "Furthermore, there are a lot of ongoing projects involving more than one professor that are done in sitting rooms after hours, such as tournament scheduling, newspaper and joint test planning and research, as I'm sure other professors in this school can attest to. As for what we do after that, it's no one else's business but our own." Jennifer rubbed her eyes a moment.

"I could not agree more," Dumbledore put in. "And may I add that not one student or parent has ever come to me having any concerns over the matter. I find it particularly odd that they would go to you before coming to me about it. Have you ever considered the students in question probably had some ulterior motives in mind?"

"Professor, even if the board had thrown this particular issue out, there still are all the others to consider. You cannot possibly think that the reputation of this school has gone undamaged from the reports of Professor Craw's questionable activities in the local paper. And the fact that the Ministry has waived a great deal of fines against Craw for misuse of magic this year does not mean those incidents still didn't exist. Especially the incidents blatantly revealing extreme magic ability in front of Muggles that reached the Muggle news, such as that incident in London, the incident with the boy, and the incident here with the Plague dispel. I have yet to hear, considering the magnitude of the countercurse, why a cloak or veil of darkness had not been done beforehand or a warning at least that this would occur to the Ministry officers below. From what I understand things were at least under control enough at that point that could have prevented the UFO and strange lights reports that were received the next day." Jennifer exchanged glances with Severus, who frowned slightly as he looked at her from above the letter. But as much as she knew he thought she should just not say anything, Jennifer knew she was already in too deep to dig herself out of, and certainly wasn't going to lose her integrity along with it.

"To be perfectly honest, sir, there was a reason there was no warning, although, I'm sure it's not one anyone probably wants to hear," Jennifer admitted, glancing apologetically to Dumbledore, who nodded to her gently in support. "The reason there was no warning was because I didn't know that was going to happen myself. I had only just made up the spell a moment before I cast it." Balmweed's eyes when wide in astonishment and horror, glancing over at Dumbledore who was still regarding her but not looking a bit surprised. Jennifer no longer felt angry anymore, for even though a lot of the charges were unfounded, the few that were left were more than enough to give any board concern, and she well knew it.

"I knew what the risks were that I was taking, and I knew the consequences. I did it because it was what I had to do. Just as I cast a banned spell to save Ginny Weasley's life two years ago, and cast a banned spell to save myself and several others from Voldemort a year before, and cast on those fire hounds this year to keep them from destroying a town. So if it's a crime for me to do my job using what means I can to do so, then fine, I'm guilty. From the moment I first arrived here, I've gone out of my way to do what I had to do for the people in this school, regardless of the consequences it had on myself. I even tried to give up my personal relationship at one point for it. It didn't work, of course, but I did, to try and keep everyone safe. For nearly three years, I've done everything I thought best for this school. And if my resignation is what happens to be best for Hogwarts, so be it." Jennifer tugged her sleeve and a wand fell into her hand, and she placed Ravenclaw's wand reverently in front of Dumbledore. "It's high time I returned this. Thank you sir for letting me borrow it, it was a great honor," Jennifer said, and turned to walk away.

"Jennifer, you can't possibly really mean to do this," Severus said standing in front of her, taking her by the shoulders. "Don't listen to that old windbag, they can't make you resign without a hearing, they can only request it. We can fight it!"

"We have better things to do than fight among ourselves right now, Severus, we just can't afford it. Voldemort is still out there, and the last thing we need is to start bickering," Jennifer said stubbornly, stepping away and turning back to Dumbledore. "Professor, if there is anything I can help you with or services I can offer in the future, you need but to ask, you can count on me to be there for you. I only ask that perhaps you'd consider Severus for my replacement, because I honestly think he'd be the best Defense teacher Hogwarts has ever had, and that's my professional opinion," Jennifer said, before gazing coldly back at Balmweed. "If you'll excuse me Vice Chairman, Professors, it seems I have some packing to do." Jennifer quickly turned and walked out of the door, ignoring Severus protests as she walked out of the room and shut the door in his face. He turned angrily and helplessly around. Minerva stood behind Dumbledore, looking into the distance at a loss for words, while Dumbledore sat quietly behind his desk, the fire out of his eyes, gazing thoughtfully at Balmweed, who was busy wishing that the Chairman had been the one to come instead.

"Don't just sit there, Dumbledore, do something!" Severus snapped, glaring at Dumbledore. "Board or no board, she belongs here at the school. You can't let her give in to these fools that ignore real threats and take out imaginary ones on one of the few people actually trying to do something to stop it."

"Severus, this entire matter was hers to deal with; we all have to make our own decisions on how to handle certain things. I hold Jennifer in great respect, and that respect extends to the decisions she makes, whether I agree with them in principle or not."

"So you're just going to let her go? Just like that? After everything she's done?" Severus asked, clenching his fists in anger. "Well, I'm not. And I'm appalled to witness a time when you and this school chose to turn your backs on one of your own," he snarled, bolting out the door and down the stairs. Dumbledore sighed softly and shook his head, glancing back at Minerva.

Jennifer had already gotten to her room and was throwing a few things in her bag when Severus burst in looking more upset than Jennifer had known him to be in a long time.

"Just what do you think you're doing? You can't possibly leave now," Severus said, standing in front of her bureau so that she would look at him. "Can't you sense there's something wrong here? This is all a set up to get you out of the way and you're letting it happen, you must fight this!"

"I'm not going to argue with the board, Severus. Besides, they are right, I haven't exactly been the best Defense teacher in the world. In fact, I came in here with nothing more than a ton of book and spell knowledge and a bit of common sense. You had to teach me how to protect myself, remember? No, it's better this way, you're the one who really deserves the job, not me," Jennifer said.

"Well I don't want it! Not this way," he said, studying her stoic face. "In fact, I am not sure I even want to stay with the school myself if they're capable of this idiocy."

"No, please," Jennifer said, stopping what she was doing and reaching for his arm. "Please stay," she said quietly but pleadingly. "As long as you're here, a part of me is still here, don't you see? I don't think I could bear both of us leaving. With you here, I'm sure there will come occasions when I can help out somehow, some way. Besides, with me not teaching, we don't have to worry about going on a stupid schedule to have children now. I can stay home with the children and get a simple job unhexing items or something to pass the time."

"You wouldn't even agree to having children until you were assured it wasn't going to affect your position at Hogwarts," Severus reminded her, still gazing at her searchingly. "Don't you put on this brave act with me, Jennifer, I know better. Teaching means everything to you, don't try to tell me otherwise!"

"No, Severus, you mean everything to me, never doubt that," Jennifer said, her eyes taking on a more sincere look. "I do, and always will love teaching and this school, but really it's been the people here who have been what's important to me."

"At least stay until the end of the term and after the wedding. Perhaps somehow things will work out by then, or maybe we'll get lucky and someone will hang the editor of the _Daily Prophet_. You don't deserve this," he frowned.

"Well, I don't deserve you either, so it's a fair trade," Jennifer joked. "No, I don't think I could bear staying. But really, I want you to take the job, Severus, there should be some good out of all of this. Besides, this will give me plenty of time to get the Broom Closet furnished and the garden back to order before we get married."

"I know you're only putting on a front, Jennifer, and even if I didn't know it, the ring doesn't lie," Severus said, waving his fingers at her, reminding her of the Dragonheart diamond. "You hate this as much as I do, and don't think for one moment that I don't know it. Someone is trying to get rid of you, and if do I stay, the only reason why would be to find out who is behind it so we can expose them and get you reinstated. We've both worked too hard to get things the way they are for it to come crashing down now. You may be ready to give in, but I am not," he said, storming out of the room.

Jennifer sighed, throwing the rest of her clothes in a bag. Well, if he was heading back to Dumbledore, perhaps he could calm Severus down. She opened the window to let Ratfly out and took one last look around. Perhaps she shouldn't have, for the moment she did she felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. Brushing them away she headed out of the room, her room, taking a moment to touch the frame around Dewhurst a moment before shutting the door. It closed silently, now only looking like a large picture on the wall, showing no signs of anything else there. Perhaps that was like it would be for her as well, she thought, leaving with no signs of her ever being there. But deep down, she knew that at least was not true. At the very least, she still had the chocolate frogs card to prove that she had been here. Chuckling silently to herself, she took a deep breath, hoping to keep from being seen by going down the back stairs. How many times had she climbed them on the way down to her office, or to the Potion Lab below? Too many times to count, she thought. But now she only wished to get down them as quickly as she could so she didn't have time to think that this would be the last time she went down them.

It wasn't long after she stepped foot on the stairs that she encountered a problem. The stairs had quickly begun to spiral with every step downwards, and she found herself suddenly at the bottom of a different stair, staring at the back of a gargoyle near an ornate Phoenix painting. She glanced with a frown up the spiral stairs towards the double doors of the Headmaster's Study. What did he want? There was nothing else to talk about, what was done was done, she thought with frustration. The last thing she wanted was to see him right now, for she knew somehow she wouldn't be able to keep her emotions in check if she walked back in there. No, she needed to leave now if she were going to leave at all. She hurriedly paced down the hall and back to the stairwell, racing down them two at a time. She nearly tripped when she hit the bottom. Recovering, she past painting again and sprinted down the hall, as if trying to outrun the spell that called to her. But once again, the stairs curled, and she found herself looking at the painting, glaring at it in annoyance. Storming back over to the door in frustration, she suddenly stopped in surprise, for she no longer saw the railed hall that was normally outside the door. Instead, she saw the back stairs… exactly at the point she had left off of it. Fear suddenly gripped her, and she took a step back, leaning on the side of the door protectively.

So this is it, she thought. She knew if she continued, the spiral stair would not appear again. It had finally given up, and was allowing her to continue on her way out of the school forever. Jennifer stared at them, and then sat on the bottom step of the spiral steps, feeling numb. She knew the moment she walked out, there was no turning back, and she also knew at that point how badly she didn't wish to do that. What was she going to do now, she wondered, brushing the tears off her cheeks, and getting out her mirror. She couldn't bear leaving, but what would happen if she went up there and admitted it, after bravely attempting to keep the peace by going? Feeling like a hypocrite, she opened her pocket mirror and gazed at it, unsurprised at the misery she saw lurking there. But underlying that, she thought she saw something else, although she wasn't sure she believed it. The woman staring back at her took on a determined look that said; _you wouldn't feel like this if you didn't belong_. Flipping it shut and jumping up, Jennifer quickly brushed off her face and ran up the spiral stairs, the double doors bursting open at the softest touch of her knuckles trying to knock upon them.

From behind his desk, Dumbledore looked up and smiled warmly at her, and Severus, who had been angrily pacing the floor stopped in his tracks to look at her in surprise.

"Ah, Jennifer, I am so glad to see you. I must say you had me worried there for a moment," Dumbledore said with such sincerity that Jennifer suddenly felt a wash of reassurance over her as if she had woken up from a bad dream.

"I think I had myself worried there for a moment too," Jennifer admitted quietly, taking a couple steps into the room.

"Please sit down and make yourself comfortable. It's all right, Minerva has gone to escort the Vice Chairman out of our hair for now," Dumbledore said, smiling over at Severus. "There you see, I told you there was nothing to worry about," he told him.

"Then why were you worried?" Severus asked curtly, coming to stand behind Jennifer's chair. Jennifer could tell that Severus was quite angry with Dumbledore at the moment, but Dumbledore seemed to take it in stride, ignoring the comment as he turned his attention to Jennifer.

"I suppose you must be wondering why I wanted to see you again before you left," Dumbledore continued calmly. "A few minutes ago, you asked me to let you know if there were anything you could do to assist me. Well, I do have a request in mind, that is, unless you already have solid plans from what you would like to do next?" he asked politely. Jennifer glanced up at Severus, who was too busy glaring suspiciously at Dumbledore to notice. Jennifer turned back to Dumbledore.

"Of course, Professor, I'll gladly do whatever I can to help, you know that," Jennifer said.

"Yes, I know that very well," Dumbledore smiled. "Perhaps I know better than nearly anyone just how trustworthy you are, although you might be surprised at the number of people who also know it. Including Chairman Dalance, a fellow Order of Merlin member of mine, who holds you in quite high regard, as well as a couple of other board members, might I add. I say this because I want you to understand that this was by no means a unanimous vote, and although I myself totally disagreed with it as well, I must say I believe you handled the situation with dignity and grace, and I entirely respect your decision."

"I still say it's time we vote for a new school board," Severus muttered.

"All in good time, Severus, right now we have other issues to attend to," Dumbledore reminded him, before turning his attention back to Jennifer. "Now, I want you to know that I plan to adopt several of the teaching concepts you have developed over the three years into the permanent agenda, your fear spell drills and problem solving 'out of the book' concepts have been quite effective, as well as the Gauntlet style testing for seventh year finals. It is definitely a more revealing way of testing just how well they learn defense than a paper test. I have every intention of having these ideas continued by someone who understands why they work and their importance, as well as add his own individual experience and style of teaching into mix. And I must admit I can think of no one who would be able to do that than Severus, and for a change, the board agrees with me. That is, if you want the job, Severus?" Jennifer looked back up at him and smiled at him encouragingly when she glanced at him.

"Very well, I accept, although it will perhaps be a hard act to follow," Severus nodded solemnly.

"Excellent. But that still leaves me with quite a number of positions to fill next year, especially with Hagrid leaving us, Irma retiring, and still needing a History teacher as well. Of course, the board has granted me carte blanche to fill the positions as I see fit. History will not be too hard to fill; I have several in mind who might be interested already. However, now that Severus will be teaching Defense, finding another suitable Potions Master shall be a problem. Most with any skill in the physical arts don't go into teaching, as I'm sure you know. If it were easy to find an expert who could handle all the duties that falls under that title and still knew how to hold a classes attention I might have moved Severus years ago, despite the board's protests that he was a servant of Voldemort." Jennifer grinned in spite of herself. Well, that explained a lot. "But, you know, I may actually be in luck this time, for I have just had word that one of the brightest potions scholars from Whitebridge with a fantastic zeal for teaching and a glowing reference from her last employer just became available for the position." Jennifer suddenly sat up in surprise, staring at Dumbledore's twinkling eyes for confirmation to what he was thinking.

"But sir! What about the board?" Jennifer stammered, still not quite daring to believe that this ploy could work.

"Well, the board doesn't have to know who the incoming staff is until July, and I have a feeling that by then, if not much earlier, all of this nonsense in the paper will stop, your name will be cleared, and the board will be too busy eating their hats to notice," Dumbledore winked. "I've been in a similar position as what you are now in myself. Ask Severus if you don't believe me. But let me assure you, even if they haven't figured it out by then, I will do everything in my power to make sure you can stay here where you belong. That is, if you want the job?" Jennifer looked up at Severus questioningly, but he blinked at her in surprise.

"Well, don't look at me. It's your decision, and you'll have to put up with me either way. What do you want to do?" Severus asked her, his temper subdued.

"I want to stay," Jennifer said emphatically, turning back to Dumbledore with renewed hope. "I would be very honored to take that position, Professor."

"Well, then you had best unpack your things then. I expect you to finish out your term as Defense; there's been too much doubling up teaching responsibilities around here as it is," Dumbledore said, sounding amused. "We still have a lot to do before the end of the year, finals to plan, an ingredient thief to find, and you still have to find time to finish those wedding invitations Minerva has been telling me aren't done yet. Goodness, are you going to make her do everything?" Jennifer blushed apologetically and got up, promising to get on them. "You both had better get some rest, we all have work to do."

"Professor, about what I was saying before she came in…" Severus began hesitantly. Dumbledore held up his hand.

"Forgotten already," Dumbledore assured him with an amused smile. Severus nodded to him then Jennifer glanced over to Severus looking between them thoughtfully as he escorted her to the door.

"What exactly did you say to him?" Jennifer asked as they headed down the stairs.

"Don't ask, don't look," Severus said in a low voice. Jennifer looked straight forward respectfully so that she couldn't see his face, but couldn't help but wonder just the same.

* * *

Harry looked between Ron and Hermione who were sitting across from him at lunch and not speaking to each other again. It was strange how they seemed to quibble over the littlest things, even when they agreed on the big things, a lot like Sirius and Anna, Harry thought, who finally broke down and admitted they liked each other after the wraith incident. But what Harry didn't approve of was the fact that this time he was apparently the reason, and the last thing Harry wanted to do was get between them.

It was all on account of Ron winning the sparring tournament.

There had been no doubt from the start that Gryffindor would win the day, for six out of the seven year's final match had at least one Gryffindor in it. The fact that five of them won was a cause for great celebration, for the amount of point awarded was enough to save the buried house from the worst point level in history and ten points ahead of Ravenclaw, who had been in third place. And that weekend, the last Quidditch game of the season and Gryffindor's last game, might even be enough to edge them up towards second, and although they were in little danger of upsetting Slytherin's lead, would at least save them the embarrassment of finishing last. With Draco out of the way for seventh year, it wasn't surprising to most who came to watch that Harry and Ron would be up for the final match. The question came as to how Ron won. He had fallen and began moaning in pain, enough to get Harry to step back and then lean down to make sure he was alright, but Ron had staged a ruse, knowing he'd do just that, and struck him with a spell before he could react. Down he went, and Ron jumped up triumphant as Snape declared him the winner, standing up triumphantly and waving before helping his friend to his feet. Several people had been unhappy with the result, and had even tried to turn to Craw, but she would hear none of it.

"Now, now, you know quite well I'm not going to go against Snape's ruling," she told them, shaking her head. "They were in the middle of a contest, and he shouldn't have let his guard down. Knowing your opponent's weaknesses is a part of what sparring is all about. Now maybe you see why I say sometimes a friend can be a dangerous enemy."

Harry had taken it all in stride, but Hermione did not, as well as a few other students that thought he got gypped out of the tournament. Perhaps it would have died down, had Taylor and Dean not wrote a glowing article about the victories and Ron decided to help them and his ego by talking the whole story up. Hermione reacted by cutting the article into little more than a score tally, and the battle ensued.

"Come on, you two, don't you think this has gone on long enough?" Harry sighed. "Hermione, really, it's all right. Ron won fair and square. I'm not holding a grudge, you shouldn't, it was a good match, and he got me by surprise."

"He tricked you into thinking he was hurt. There's nothing fair about that at all. I'm not about to encourage him to gloat to the world over it and show everyone just how much of a rotten sportsman you are," Hermione said.

"Oh, knock it off, Hermione. If you have such a rotten opinion of me, I guess I won't have much reason to come see when school lets out is it?" Harry and Ginny groaned and began to ignore them, covering their faces. They'd heard all this conversation before.

"Are you two going to do this during the newspaper staff meeting today?" Dean asked, leaning over the table so they can see him. "Because if you are, I'm not going. I've got better things to do than hear you two go at it again."

"Blimey, would you all just grow up?" Corey called from even further down the table, in a voice so loud that a fair number of students from the tables beside them also looked up. "And they tell _us_ we're wet behind the ears?" he said with exasperation, looking over at Doug, who was shaking his head towards the seventh year students disapprovingly.

"Look, this is the last issue of the paper this year," Hermione said looking at all of them seriously. "And until it's done, I'm still the editor. Ron, since you're not an unbiased party on the tournament article, you are not allowed to help Dean with it."

"I wasn't helping, just suggesting a little more flair, is all," Ron said indignantly.

"Not even suggestions! Now, Dean, you think you and Taylor can get together and finish that before tonight? And if Ron says one word to you before its done, you have my permission to clout him," Hermione said. Dean nodded, but looked dubious at the idea of 'clouting' Ron. "Ron, I want you to go to Quidditch practice with Harry and Ginny. Pummeler is going to announce if he's offering any contracts today, and I want us to write something up on it."

"Fine, but I'm only doing it so our last issue isn't a complete disaster," Ron said, pushing his plate aside. "I'm heading on out." Harry watched him walk out of the Great Hall before turning to Hermione again.

"You know, you really have been awfully hard on him lately," Harry told her. "Would it have hurt all that much to have congratulated him on his victory?"

"He tricked you into winning. Admit it Harry, you wouldn't have done that to him," Hermione said.

"No, but I'm not Ron. I don't expect him to be anyone else but himself, and you shouldn't either. You know, every time you get top honors, I never hear him tell you that you cheated to get it, and when Slytherin claimed you had gotten the editor position because of favoritism he was quick to jump in and put them in their place. You may be the top student, Hermione, but you have a lot to learn about how to be supportive," Harry said as Ginny and he got up. Hermione sat there for a moment quietly, picking at her food with a sigh. Finally she reached down the table to get Dean's attention.

"Never mind, I'll do the article," she said. "You just work on Quidditch game highlights for tomorrow."

"Sure, whatever you say," Dean said, "I'll go let Brittle know then." As the students began breaking from the table, Hermione headed to the newsroom, hoping to get a jump on things before the last meeting.

Outside at the Quidditch Pitch a crowd had begun to gather on the stands of differing houses, even though Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were done for the season. Ron climbed up a few rows and sat next to Justin as Harry and Ginny went to the field to practice.

"Is he here yet?" Ron asked.

"You mean Jasper? Not yet I don't think," Justin answered, trying to look calm. "He said he'd be here though. Rumor has it he told McGonagall he was thinking of hiring two positions from us, but I haven't heard which ones. Every person I've asked has said something different."

"Are you going to take it if you get it?" Ron asked him. Justin looked at him in surprise.

"Me? Why, you expect me to?" Justin asked.

"Oh, go on, Finch-Fletchley, everyone knows you're the best Chaser we've had in two decades, you keep the Seekers watching the scoreboards any time you play. If I had money down, I'd put it on you and Harry as best odds," Ron said solemnly. Justin grinned nervously and looked at him.

"Well, I think you're right about Harry, at least," Justin said. "But as for me, would I take it if I got it? In a heartbeat," he admitted. "Sure beats the office job my father has in mind for me if I don't."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ron said. "Dad wants me to go in the Ministry."

"You mean you don't?" Justin chuckled.

"No, not anymore, I got something else in mind," Ron admitted, looking out expectantly on the Quidditch Pitch. "Look, here he comes now. Maybe we ought to get down there." The two of them clambered off the stands and down to where everyone was gathering. The Gryffindor team hovered down on their brooms, Harry waving at the boys down below as Ron pushed his way to the front.

"Press, coming through! Excuse me, official newspaper business," Ron said, Justin right behind, both of them squirming up to the front where Jasper and Madame Hooch were standing.

"Goodness, news sure travels fast in this school, doesn't it?" Jasper chuckled, looking at the crowd. Madame Hooch smirked slightly at that but didn't say anything. As popular as Jasper was among the students, Jasper had inspired extreme dislike in the staff, even from those normally not of the character to dislike anyone. Even Flitwick had been very stiffly polite the last game he came. And Ron believed that the faculty was quietly glad that the Quidditch season was over just so they could be rid of him, and he was quite sure Jasper wouldn't be invited back again. "Well, I suppose I shan't keep you in suspense any longer, then. I must say it was a tough decision since there are so many fabulous Quidditch players in this school, but I finally decided on two extremely talented individuals to offer contracts to for team alternates. Once you've spent time as an alternate and you've toned up your skills, you will then, of course, be given a chance to play regular team, as I'm sure you all know. For the position of Chaser, I would like to offer a contract to Justin Finch-Fletchley." A roar went up in the crowd of congratulations and approvals, as Justin first looking shocked, broke into a large grin. Ron scrambled for his camera and took a picture of him getting the contract and moving to stand by the recruiter's side. "And now, for the position of alternate Seeker…we don't give out many of these, so it's quite an honor to say the least," Jasper said, as Ron sighed, glancing up at Harry along with the rest of the students. "Draco Malfoy!"

Ron's head suddenly whipped back to Jasper in total shock as Slytherin house broke into a load ruckus as Draco sifted calmly out of the crowd with a triumphant smile on his face. The rest of the houses and Madame Hooch, who had been stone silent in surprise, suddenly picked up a slow applaud as Draco stepped up to shake his hand and receive the contract. Ron, burning up with anger, nearly forgot to take the picture before taking a step back, looking around him at the other Gryffindors.

"This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of! He hasn't caught but one Snitch all season!" Ron said to Seamus, who was shaking his head in disbelief.

"I had Harry pegged for it for sure. He's ten times the Seeker Malfoy is. What, is Jasper blind as a bat?" Seamus asked. Harry, who had been hovering with the rest of the team above landed and walked over to Ron, looking grim. Corey, who had been standing nearby, was looking disgusted.

"You know I didn't want that contract, Ron, but do you think it'd sound un-sportsmanlike for me to say this whole thing smells like rotten fish?" Harry asked, glaring over at Malfoy.

"I wonder how much money he had to pay for that contract anyhow, probably more than it's worth," Seamus nodded.

"Just like a Malfoy to bribe his way into whatever he wants," Ron growled. "He's done some low things in his day, but this has got to be one of the lowest." Corey looked thoughtfully at Malfoy a moment, then back at the others.

"You know, I got a hunch it wasn't coin he was trading for this contract," Corey said. "I got a hunch it was something even more valuable to the right people."

"Of course!" Harry said, "Corey, you're brilliant. Don't you see, Ron? The potions Pettigrew was getting weren't from Malfoy; he was getting them from Jasper, who was getting Malfoy to get it from the school so it'd be hard to trace back where they were coming from! That's why the ingredients only disappear on the weekends. Malfoy delivered them before the games, and that's why Malfoy kept doing it even after his denouncement of Voldemort. He wasn't in it for his Dad, he was in it for himself!"

"Why, that rotten pig! I'm going to go have a few words with him," Ron said, handing his camera to Corey. "Here, watch this. I don't want it getting damaged." Corey took it gladly, looking immediately cheerful as Ron headed back through the crowd.

"Knock him good for me too!" Corey said.

"Ron, wait a minute!" Harry called, to no avail. "We don't have any proof of this," he muttered, shaking his head. "I'd better go after him."

"I'd better go too," Seamus said. Corey, however, only paused enough to see where they were going before running at full speed into the school. Draco had just walked away from Jasper and had joined his friends when Ron caught up with him.

"He wants us to make an appointment with the team management within a couple of weeks. I'll have the family lawyers look at it, but I'm sure it's all in order," Draco was telling them. "I can't wait to tell my personal trainers. They never thought I'd make it, but I always knew all that bit about Potter being the perfect Seeker would fall through the moment someone outside the school had a look. I never have understood the bias that goes on in the place. One spell fizzles on a baby and all the sudden they expect him to grow up to become the greatest wizard of all time, rid the world of all evil and still have time left over to be the best Seeker in history? What kind of omen is that?" Draco felt a hand on his shoulder and looked around to see Ron, staring at him expressionlessly.

"Mind if I have a word with you? I might like to get a few choice words about you for the article about the contracts in the newspaper," Ron said. Draco squinted at him suspiciously.

"Very well, ask away," Draco said.

"Not here, it's too loud, and we'll get interrupted," Ron said. "How about over near the storage gate?"

"Fine. Crabbe, Longbottom, with me. Excuse me, everyone, press you know," Draco said, walking with him over to the side of the pitch. The door to the storage area was slightly opened, and Crabbe and Longbottom walked over, glancing to make sure no one was inside before nodding to Draco. "All right, what would you like to ask? Where's your camera?"

"Well, first thing's first," Ron said calmly, right before he planted his fist in Malfoy's nose. Suddenly two other figures appeared behind Crabbe and Longbottom, twisting back their arms long enough to take the wands out of their hands as Malfoy pulled his, pointing it at Ron in total fury. "Go ahead, try and take a shot," Ron said watching him carefully as he took his own wand out. "You'll never land it. You were almost as bad at dueling as you were a Quidditch player, but not quite. How did you pay him off, Malfoy?" Ron asked. "It wasn't money this time, was it? I don't suppose you have any idea where those potions ended up, do you? Or did you, and you just didn't want to admit it?"

"You have the nerve to come to me and accuse me of bribing? Especially after the stunt you pulled to win the tournament? Do you know how much trouble you can get into for falsely accusing someone?" Malfoy asked. "You've gone too far this time, Weasley, and one way or another, I'm going to make sure you pay for it."

"_Expelliarmus!_" A booming voice called out from the storage gate. Both Ron's and Malfoy's wand went flying as the door burst open and Snape came out of it, Corey close behind. "Potter, Finnegan, let them go immediately! Corey, I had better not hear one more click out of that camera, or I'm going to have words with you as well," Snape snapped, taking out a cloth and handing it to Malfoy for his nose, which had started to bleed. "If you think just because the tournament is over it gives you the right to start altercations, you had better think again. Malfoy, didn't I warn you about what would happen if you got involved in something like this again?"

"I only pulled my wand to defend myself after he assaulted me! I haven't used it!" Draco said. Snape looked expectantly at Ron.

"Professor Snape, Malfoy's been the one stealing out of the lab and your office. He's been trading potions to Mr. Jasper so he could nail a Quidditch contract," Ron said.

"You just don't want to admit I might actually have just a bit more talent than your best friend, Weasley! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of! Besides, I've never stolen anything in my life, that's a concept for the poor. Not surprising you thought that up really, is it, Weasley?" Malfoy sneered.

"Why you…"

Snape grabbed Ron by the cuff before he launched himself at Malfoy again.

"Need help?" Professor Craw hurried over from the gates, glancing at each of the faces in the group before looking over at Snape.

"It appears Mr. Weasley has got it in his head that Draco is responsible for the missing ingredients in the office and the lab and decided to take matters into his own hands," Snape explained, glaring at Ron.

"Here, Draco, let me see how bad that is," Craw said gently, taking the cloth way from Malfoy's nose. "Now, Draco, does Ron have any reason to be accusing you of such a thing?"

"None whatsoever! I did not steal anything," Draco said, emphasizing every word. Craw handed him back the cloth.

"Ron, do you have any proof that Draco took the ingredients?" Craw asked.

"No, Professor. But you're a Truth Seeker, surely you can see he's lying!" Ron pleaded, pointing at Malfoy.

"Draco, you had better go to the hospital wing, your nose has started to swell. Amadeus, Vincent, go with him…oh and ten points each deducted for pulling your wands on another student," Craw said. Shooting one last warning glare at Ron, Malfoy and his friends headed inside through the storage gate. Snape let Ron go but told him to stay put, walking over to Craw, looking expectantly at her. "Draco didn't steal any of the ingredients himself. He got everyone else to do it for him," Jennifer whispered, "and not just his best buddies either. Even if there was a way to prove it without a confession, he's had several different students pilfer for him, including Corey and a few other first years, and if one of them stood up and accused him it'd be their word against his."

"How conveniently Malfoy of him. Never mind, we have bigger fish to fry. I think it's time we had a talk with our dear friend Mars Jasper," Snape suggested. He turned around at the three Gryffindors standing there. "Meet me at my office in ten minutes, Weasley. And you had better be there waiting. Potter, Finnegan, don't you have something better to do than sticking your nose into things that don't concern you?" Harry and Seamus glanced over at Ron with sympathetic looks before walking back to towards the rest of the Quidditch team.

They found Jasper standing at the gates speaking with Rolanda Hooch, who didn't seem too thrilled that he was still there, nodding numbly as he chatted on about life traveling with a professional Quidditch team. He then spotted Severus and began making quick excuses for having to leave but Severus and Jennifer caught up with him.

"Mr. Jasper, if you have a moment, I have a question or two to ask you," Jennifer said. Rolanda watched curiously as Severus got between Jasper and the gate, his eyes flashing dangerously. "There's been some loose talk among the students that they thought you might have been accepting bribes in return for one of the Quidditch contracts given out today. There isn't any truth in that, is there?"

"Bribes? Ridiculous! I haven't taken one knut from these students! If you don't believe me, you can always check my bank records, you'll find there's nothing out of the ordinary there!" Jasper said defensively, looking a tad nervous.

"Well, apparently you had been getting paid in potions instead, specific potions, in fact, some of them with very hard to come by ingredients that would be easily traced if they were bought from an alchemist, but perhaps more easily missed in a place that deals in such things every day," Jennifer continued, her voice hard and accusing as she studied him with a fixed stare.

"Let's just cut to the chase, shall we?" Severus cut in suddenly from behind him, making Jasper take a step to the side to look at him. "Just how long have you been working for Voldemort, Jasper?"

"V…Voldemort!" Jasper said in surprise, "What does you-know-who have to do with anything? I might have had a student run an errand or two, Professor, but I am no Death Eater, if that's what you're implying! I'm just a Quidditch scout! I'm not a traitor!" Jennifer looked at him thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side slightly as she studying his face.

"You were getting the potions as a favor to someone to pay off a gambling debt?" Jennifer asked, looking slightly puzzled.

"I…I never said I took any potions. And I don't have any of those you can check my hotel room if you don't…"

"Oh shut up, Jasper. We know where the potions finally ended up, we just want to know how they got there," Severus snapped. "Who exactly is it that you owe that you're willing to risk your job to pay off?"

"I refuse to answer! This isn't an inquiry, and you're definitely no arbitrators!" he said.

"You're not going to believe this, because I'm not sure I do," Jennifer said, breaking her gaze. "But apparently he was handing them over to Ludo Bagman." Severus and Rolanda stared at Jennifer.

"You know, I never really liked you Jasper, but now that this has all happened, I think it's safe to say, I _really_ don't like you," Rolanda said.

"Hate, I think is the word," Severus said, taking him by the collar and walking him out the gate, tossing him on the turf outside. "I wouldn't be too surprised if you were brought up for an inquiry fairly soon if I were you. Once we report this to Dumbledore, one thing is certain; you will not ever be allowed on this property again."

"Rolanda, lock him out, please?" Jennifer suggested.

"Gladly," Rolanda said, taking out her wand and waving it at the gate. The open area around it suddenly glowed a moment before returning to its invisible state. "So what's going to happen to Malfoy?"

"Depends if we can get him to trip up and say something we can get him on," Jennifer said as they walked away from the gate.

"He won't. He's a Malfoy. Look what it took to get his father in jail," Severus muttered.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't feel right about it anyhow if he was just doing it hoping to get a contract," Rolanda said.

"Rolanda? How can you say such a thing?" Jennifer said with surprise.

"Because of the fact that the staff was just as guilty as he was," Rolanda said. "You both didn't like him, I didn't like him, McGonagall hated him, and none of us trusted him, but we all gritted our teeth and tolerated him on the property again and again even when he was being a jerk because we wanted to make sure Finch-Fletchley got the shot he deserved. At least Malfoy didn't betray himself to get what he wanted," she snorted.

Jennifer looked over at her thoughtfully, unable to think of an answer. Well, at least he was finally gone and the matter would soon be out of their hands. All that was left was to decide Ron's punishment, and Severus was going to handle that.


	30. The Forbidden Tomb

Chapter Thirty

The Forbidden Tomb

The sun was just breaking over the hills as Hermione and Harry sent out the last of the local newspapers, leaning on the bundle going to the main office.

"Ron, wake up, we're almost done," Harry said. "Revere should be here soon to pick up the rest, we just need to get the student copies to the Great Hall now."

"Sorry, but I'm still exhausted from last night. I'm surprised Snape didn't deduct points for me getting out of detention after hours just to be spiteful," Ron grumbled, sitting up and dusting feathers off. "I swear he's gotten twice the equipment this year as he had last year. And every time I scrubbed the floor to a nice shine, his one-eyed basilisk would see fit to walk across it and muddy it up! It was almost as if Snape told him to do it."

"Ron, I'm not sure if this is public knowledge yet, but Snape's a Parselmouth now," Harry told him, trying to keep a straight face. "He drank the potion we found in the Chamber of Secrets and that was one of its effects."

"Oh great! Well, that explains a lot, doesn't it," Ron said slightly irritated.

"Come on, let's hurry so we're not late for breakfast. We're starting term reviews today, don't forget," Hermione reminded them.

"Only in Charms and Potions," Ron yawned, walking over to the stairs. "Professor Craw didn't say anything about starting reviews today."

"Well, even if we don't, I'm going to start on them anyhow," Hermione decided, following close behind him. "She's not going to catch me unawares with last minute reviews."

That afternoon Professor Craw smiled enigmatically as the students filed in, and strangely enough, her desk was completely bare, not even class books or her favorite inkwell was upon it. She sat upon it, trying to make eye contact with each person that walked into the door, and sat there quietly until they all got to their seats. It was then that Professor Snape arrived, looking as dour as ever as he nodded to Craw and strode to the front of the class, standing beside the desk. The seventh year students glanced at each other in bewilderment then back towards the front, wondering what was going on. Professor Craw smiled again.

"Well, I see I have all of your attention…for a change," Craw said, as a nervous chuckle could be heard from some of the students. "I have a few announcements to make, some good, some bad, but overall for the best. First of all, you may be relieved to know that you're not going to have to sit though two weeks of reviews as you are in your other classes. This means that after today, you won't have a scheduled class time, only a scheduled test time. So, feel free to use that time to study for your other exams, relax, or catch up on some sleep," she added, looking at Ron, who looked halfway asleep even as she said it. He blinked and sat up, noticing her eyes on him. "Instead, the Defense test will be entirely made up of a practical test that you will have to complete in under an hour. It will be styled in a Gauntlet, and if you heard stories about last year's test, it will be similar to it in some ways, but this one will be a lot more uniform in appearance, and, frankly, a good deal harder. Professor Snape and I have been spending quite a bit of our time putting the finishing touches on it, and I think every one in here will find it equally challenging," Craw said, glancing momentarily towards Harry and Hermione. "Also, you may find that you can not get all the way through it, whether a challenge has stopped you, or with time restraints, but that doesn't necessarily mean you didn't pass the test. You'll need to come check the scores on the door to be certain of that. If you want to get high marks, however, you'll need to complete it, unscathed, and in the time restraints. Professor?"

"We've come up with a test design that creates some of the challenges based on who you are, as well as the fact that each time it is run, the test takes different shape and appearance. Attempting to inform anyone after the fact on how to beat the test will be futile, so don't bother," Snape said, squinting around the classroom. "Since it is going to take time to run each test, finals for this subject will be starting this evening, and afterwards will follow the schedule Professor Craw is posting after class, check that to find out when your test is. We've decided the order that you test will be determined by your standings in practical defense. Therefore, the first student to be tested will be Mr. Potter, followed by Miss Granger tomorrow, Miss Bulstrode, and so forth."

"The only advice I'm going to give you is remember to use your common sense if you don't see an immediate answer. Your biggest challenge in life is always going to be yourself," Craw said, getting up from the desk. "I know that doesn't sound like much, but it's amazing how often one can forget that when faced with something life threatening.

"I also have one other announcement I'm going to make," Craw smiled, glancing at all of them. "And since I was given the choice when to announce it by Professor Dumbledore, I decided to do it first in this class. This is the last year I will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts." Harry blinked in complete surprise, hearing a series of gasps around him. "After this year, Professor Snape will be taking over the position, something of course I highly approve of. He'll also be helping me mark the tests as you run them, so don't think you've gotten away scot-free just because this is your last year," Craw winked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Snape asked.

"In any case, I wanted to let you know it's been a joy and a privilege teaching this class, and I am going to miss each and every one of you. I will see you at your test time, good luck, and class dismissed," Craw said. "Harry, meet me in my office after dinner, please?" she added, smiling warmly at him. Harry nodded, and smiled weakly back before catching up with Hermione and Ron as they headed out of the classroom.

"I can't believe she's leaving," Harry said as they walked down the hall. "This doesn't make any sense at all! Professor Craw loves Hogwarts."

"Well, yes, but she's getting married soon, settling down having kids and all that. It's not all that unexpected, is it?" Ron shrugged.

"I'm sure she had her reasons," Hermione said quickly, glancing at the book and notebook in her hand. "Looks as if I have another book to shelve in my collection of old schoolbooks. To think, I'll never have to take it to class again. Rather depressing, really," Hermione decided.

"One less test we have to study for is all right with me," Ron said. "Although I have to admit, the idea of Snape designing this test doesn't exactly boost my confidence." Harry nodded at Ron emphatically. And he was the first to go through it. Tonight even! Harry sighed. "Nothing for you to worry about there, Harry, you heard what they said, you're the top of the class, you'll get through all right."

"Guess we're going to find out soon enough," Harry said.

* * *

Jennifer brushed her hair back from the strong wind, finally having to retie it as she looked at the clouds rolling over the hills in the darkening eastern sky. The colors of the sunset were now descending behind the rocky mountain range, and the long shadows finally disappeared into the twilight.

"I hope that storm holds back long enough for Harry to finish his test," Jennifer said as she climbed the steps onto the platform.

"Assuming he'll finish," Severus said calmly from behind her. "I don't know, I should think a bit of a storm would make things much more interesting, don't you?"

"If he can't get through it none of the others can," Jennifer said, "so if he doesn't, we really need to relax it a bit."

"Bite your tongue, we'll just mark it on a curve is all," Severus said.

"You'd be happy if no one got through it, wouldn't you?" Jennifer asked him accusingly, waving at Harry at the maze's entrance to let him know it was ok to start, glancing at her watch.

"Of course. The students need to learn the odds are always stacked against them in the real world," Severus said matter-of-factly. "They need to realize it some time, it might as well be here."

Jennifer just shook her head and didn't say anything, knowing there were some philosophies they would never agree on professionally. Instead she turned her attention to Harry, who was already breaking a good deal of headway into the labyrinth, his natural instincts helping him keep one step ahead of everything Severus had thrown at him. There had been no hesitation on the ghouls, werewolf or vampires, the double hexed reflective pool trap or the groundboar pits, and Jennifer began to relax a bit. But then she noticed a strange look on his face that started to raise her concern her again. Something was bothering him, she realized, and she wasn't quite sure it was all about the Gauntlet.

Thunder sounded in the background as Harry leaned against a tree, trying to catch his breath. How much more of this was he going to have to do, he wondered. It had been one booby trap after another since he walked in, and he was beginning to wear out. The troll, at least, had been easy enough to manage, until the two imps showed up and had fun tripping him up while the troll took shots at his head with his club. As bad as he'd imagined the test was going to be, he was learning quickly that this was far worse than he expected. Perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad if he didn't feel a strange weight on his head, growing steadily worse as he progressed. He had muttered the countercurse for a paranoia spell to no effect, so that wasn't it, nor did a clarity spell work either. He just couldn't help feeling that something was dreadfully wrong. Well, time was ticking, and he needed to get going. He turned the corner to stop short, noticing a gooey liquid substance in his path. It could easily be any number of things, so he had no intention of getting into it. Casting a jumping spell on his feet he sprinted forward with the intention of jumping across, but just as he did, a pair of slime green hands leapt out and snatched him out of the air dragging him down into the liquid. Bog leach, he remembered, trying to keep his head above the slime. Struggling he broke his wand arm free of the sticky substance, pointing down at it. "_Freeze!" _

The bog leach, made of liquid, was highly susceptible to the cold, and as it froze it released its grip, the hands freezing just in front of him. Slowly Harry broke himself free of the ice and climbed out, lying down a moment. His head was throbbing now, and his scar was burning. He rubbed it distractedly, and suddenly got a strange vision. Surely there wasn't anything in the test that could do that! He was going to have to fight his way out, and fast, and warn someone. But what was it? The flashes he was getting were only showing darkness, and sounds, sounds of someone intoning a spell.

Harry scrambled to his feet, and hurried down the path until it opened into a glade. Lying beside a stream was a Unicorn, an arrow pierced in its leg, and it was looking up at him expectantly. Harry was immediately suspicious, remembering what Ron had done during the sparring tournament. Carefully he went around it, heading up a small knoll just beyond the glade. As he neared the top, a flash of light flickered from somewhere above, and Harry was relieved to have noticed a large iron door, set into a tall wall on the other side of the hill. He was almost there, and just in time, for the weight in his head was getting steadily worse.

Just as he was reaching the crest of the hill however, something rose above him and he recognized it at once as a banshee, floating above him in anger at her knoll being disturbed. Quickly Harry cast the sonorous shield around him, just as she opened her mouth in her powerful song. Now what was he going to do? He couldn't move forward inside the shield, for it wouldn't follow, and the furious banshee wasn't about to let him cross her knoll. They were extremely territorial, and very hard to defeat. Only the sound of coral-bells, or several wizards working in unison, could possibly defeat one, and he certainly didn't have time to plant flowers. He also knew from Craw that Mallus Craw was able to control them, but he had had an uncanny ability with sounds, and was able to use them to his advantage.

Suddenly Harry looked up in surprise, gazing over the wall towards the Dark Forest, and the hills lying beyond it as lighting cracked overhead. Of course! Why hadn't he seen it before! Pointing at his head he cast deafness his ears and launched himself towards the door. Traps and curses shot off around him and on his heels, the banshee quickly caught up in them as he reached the door. It was cursed, he was sure, but had no time to mess with that now. Instead, he turned his wand back on himself, closed his eyes, and shouted, "_Incorporeus!_" and walked through the wall beside it. The bottom of his robe ripped as he came out the other side as the spell wore off, the robe getting caught in the hedge wall.

"What in the world was he thinking taking a chance like that?" Jennifer said in anger and surprise as she clambered down the steps.

"Well I have every intention of deducting him for it," Severus growled pulling ahead of her trying to get to the boy first. But Harry wasn't at the exit. Instead he was running across the grounds towards the forest.

"Something must be really wrong! Where is he going?" Jennifer asked.

"I don't know, but I am certainly going to find out. Come on!" Severus said.

Ron and Hermione were just stepping out of Hagrid's when they caught sight of him, running to catch up.

"Hi, Harry! How'd the test go? Where are you going?" Hermione asked quickly as the got to the edge of the Forest.

"I know where the Tomb is. And Voldemort is there right now, I can feel it," Harry said, walking in the Forest.

"What?" Ron said, "And what, you were just going to go try and handle it alone? Without us? After all we've been through? Now that's gratitude for you."

"I don't want anyone else getting hurt," Harry snapped. "You don't understand. I have to go."

"We understand, Harry, but oughtn't we to tell someone? Maybe we ought to go get Dumbledore," Hermione suggested.

"How about Snape and Craw?" a woman's voice said from just behind them as the two Professors emerged from the mist. "You're not going in there without me, Harry. The Tomb is my responsibility, remember?" Craw said, frowning at him. "Where is it at, Harry, and how long have you known where it is?"

"The night the Plague spell was cast, Anna and Rosmerta found the remains of the banshee on the hills between the Dark Forest and Hogsmeade. I think the reason she was killed wasn't that she wasn't just guarding the eastern edge of the forest; she was guarding Salazar's Tomb. Why else would a banshee, not even native to this island, possibly have traveled here away from her own territory to take up residence here? Someone must have put her here, and the only one capable of that is someone we know was in the Tomb… Mallus Craw. Don't you see? All the poems talk about the darkest moment, the darkest place. It's always darkest before the dawn! And if you've ever seen the sunrise from the Owlery, you'll notice that the sun from Hogwarts comes up over those hills," Harry explained.

"To think all this time we were looking at it! I must have watched the sunrise from the parapet a hundred times," Jennifer said hitting herself in the head.

"Never mind that! Are you certain that Voldemort is there now?" Severus asked.

"This storm isn't normal, don't you feel it? And there's no rain, only wind and lightning," Jennifer told Severus. "Come on, we need to find a way to destroy the Tomb before he's able to use it for something even worse than he already has."

The wind howled around them as the five figures hurried through the trees. Severus had quickly taken the lead, knowing the Forest better than the rest of them, avoiding areas that would cause them delays and lairs best left undisturbed. The dark clouds were boiling overhead by the time they got to the outskirts of the hills.

"The banshee seemed to stay closest to a rock quarry on the other side of the hill," Jennifer told Severus. "The entrance is probably somewhere near there, it'll have been disguised to look like the rest of the area."

"He's near, he's still in there, I can feel it," Harry said. "I might be able to tell where the entrance is."

"All right, Potter, you lead. Wands out everyone, but don't use them until I tell you to," Severus ordered. Harry, Ron and Hermione got out their wands and stepped forward over the craggy surface, circling to where Jennifer, Sirius, and the others had been the day they met Pettigrew on the hill. So that's what he was doing up here, Jennifer thought, slightly irritated at herself. That meant it was possible that Pettigrew had been there as well, and he too may have learned the Forbidden death spell. Jennifer sighed softly, and tried to concentrate on the moment. One thing at a time, she thought, carefully stepping down into the quarry itself.

Harry had stopped in front of a stack of four-foot blocks of stone, stacked at angles two blocks high in the back of the quarry, hidden by foliage that had begun to reemerge over the area.

"I think this is it," Harry said. Severus moved forward, muttering a spell as he touched the blocks searchingly. Finally he found a break in the stone and tapped it with his wand several times until he had mapped out a pattern. The stones rumbled as they broke apart, revealing a dark passage.

"All right," Severus said as everyone began looking at each other nervously. "I'll go in first, Craw, you bring up the rear. Jennifer, why haven't you got your wand out?"

"I returned the wand I borrowed to Dumbledore, remember?" Jennifer admitted.

"You mean you've been running around for two weeks without a wand?" Severus scowled at her. "All right, Harry, take the lead. Jennifer, you get in the middle. Let's go."

Even carrying the blue wisp lights, nothing seemed to cut through the pitch black that surrounded them. Harry kept the edges of the corridor within reach so he didn't miss any turns, but although the corridor itself wound about as it headed underground, turning sometimes in opposite directions than it was, there were no side passages to lead them astray. After what seemed to be an indeterminably long time of stumbling about in the dark, Harry stopped at an ornate archway, laboriously decorated with roman style pillars and grotesque gargoyles chiseled into the stone.

"There's something written here," Harry said, pointing by the arch, holding up the light. Severus and Jennifer stepped up to look at it.

"Beyond this arch lie the paths to darkness and death, beware lest they overtake you. Only those who have cheated death and faced their inner darkness may pass," Severus read. "That means Ron and Hermione will probably not be able to get through." Harry looked at the arch a moment before walking through it.  
"Why don't you both take Ron and Hermione back? There's no reason for the rest of you getting involved," Harry said.

"Don't be ridiculous, you really think either of us would leave a student in this position?" Jennifer said going through the arch.

"Wait a minute… where do you think you-" Severus started, but was suddenly thrown back before he got underneath the arch. "That can't be right," he muttered, scrambling onto his feet. "That cannot possibly be right." Cautiously Ron tried to put his hand under the arch, but had it whipped back away from it. Hermione's hand did the same.

"Well, I suppose that settles it, doesn't it?" Jennifer said, looking over at Severus. "Someone has to go with Harry. I can't leave him to face this alone. Besides, I need to do this, for me. I'm the last Keeper, I need to help make sure this Tomb isn't used to do any more evil."

Severus looked at her for a long hard moment, his feelings for her evident on his face. Why did he feel as if he'd never see her again? But he knew as well as the rest of them did that they had to do this.

"At least take my wand with you," Severus said quietly, setting it down near the arch. "Can you Apparate?" Jennifer concentrated a moment before shaking her head. She knelt down and picked up his wand.

"Thank you, and don't worry. Just get those kids back and let Dumbledore know what's going on," Jennifer said.

"Just be careful, both of you," Severus said stiffly, looking back over at Jennifer. Jennifer had little doubt he would stop them if he thought he could. "I'm not sure I could live with myself if anything happened to you now."

"Wow, Snape, I didn't know you cared," Harry said, earning a quick elbow from Jennifer.

"Gryffindors," Jennifer snorted lightly. "We'll see you as soon as we can, with a story to tell, no doubt. Let's go, Harry."

"Take care, Ron, Hermione. If anything happens, let Ginny know I love her," Harry said.

"Just come back, Harry," Hermione said. Jennifer exchanged one last look with Severus before she and Harry headed into the darkness.

The cavern had stopped descending downwards, and had flattened into a straight corridor covered with stone brick. Suddenly Harry stopped, holding his wisp light up a bit. It was a side corridor leading to the right, extending into the darkness.

"Which way, Harry?" Jennifer whispered.

"I'm not quite sure. I think straight," he whispered back. "Is it just me or is the air getting heavy in here?"

"Yes, and it's getting warm," she agreed. "Come on, let's keep going," As quickly and quietly as they could, the two of them headed forward, farther and farther in. Jennifer couldn't imagine where they were in conjunction with the land above she had quickly lost her sense of direction in the darkness. Suddenly she began to feel choked with dread, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was as if something in the darkness was awakening something in her, although she wasn't quite sure what it was. "I think we're getting close," she whispered. "We had better be careful."

"Yes, perhaps you had better," said a familiar voice out of the darkness. Harry and Jennifer quickly held their wands out in surprise at the corridor in front of them as a figure appeared from out of a side corridor, one both of them recognized at once. It was Peter Pettigrew.

* * *

Anna, Sirius and Dumbledore had been in his study when Severus, Ron, and Hermione had come bursting in to tell them what they had found. Without a moment's hesitation, Dumbledore had alerted McGonagall and hurried to Hogsmeade where several others joined them, meeting at the base of the hill. There, Dumbledore stopped and asked everyone to wait, and all of them kept constant eye on the open tunnel, but none of them went too near. Severus paced the ground nearby, kicking up the dirt, needles and leaves that got in his way.

"We can't just stay here and watch," Sirius said, his face lined with worry. "They don't stand a chance in there alone."

"You would not be able to get in any case, Sirius," Dumbledore said.

"But Professor, I am pretty sure I can get through it," Anna said, "At least let me try to help them."

"No, Anna, although I know how you feel, for I also could pass that arch," Dumbledore said. "But going down there now we're more likely to put them in more danger than they are already in, as well as perhaps putting us in a position where we can not help them at all if we are distracted looking after our own safety. No, it's best we stay up here and wait and just be with them in spirit." Dumbledore turned his gaze back to the entrance, sparing only a side-glance when Anna's form fell limply to the ground before refocusing his attention back on the tomb.

* * *

"Wormtail," Harry said. "Don't come any closer!" Pettigrew lifted a hand and the corridor filled with light, momentarily blinding Harry and Jennifer as their eyes tried to readjust.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise. The famous Harry Potter, and the alluring Professor Craw. So you've come to seek the powers of the Tomb, have you? Too bad I've been ordered to kill you both," he said calmly, then turned to Harry. "Of course, you, Harry, seem to have escaped my notice and I failed to find you before you caught up with Voldemort, who's in the Tomb straight ahead…all alone. Pity, that." Harry squinted suspiciously.

"Go, now, before I change my mind," Wormtail hissed. "You spared my life now I spare yours, consider us even." Harry looked back at Jennifer, who nodded at him, her wand still aimed at Wormtail as Harry faded into the darkness. Pettigrew smiled thinly at Jennifer. "So, my dear, it seems fate has brought us together again. I had little doubt it would."

"Back off, Pettigrew. I won't warn you again," Jennifer snarled when he took a step forward, backing up herself in return.

"Or what? You'll kill me?" Pettigrew said in a mocking voice. "If you could kill me, you'd have done it by now. Tell me truthfully, Truth Seeker, can feel the call of darkness surging inside you right now? You're a Craw… surely you sense the hidden power that this Tomb has to offer. Mallus knew its power well. He learned very quickly how much it had to offer."

"Mallus went insane because of the power he found," Jennifer said, gripping her wand tighter. "Don't you see? The only power here is the one that enslaves you to its own purpose. If you listen to it, it'll only consume you as well."

"The only thing I am consumed with at the moment is your presence," Pettigrew said. "Perhaps you haven't truly experienced the power of the Tomb yet. Come, I shall assist your education, Professor."

Suddenly the light ceased, and Craw dove away from where she had been standing, tumbling into a roll against the far wall, meeting only laughter.

"Nice try, but I see perfectly well in the dark," Pettigrew said. "Allow me to demonstrate. _Crucio!_"

Suddenly Jennifer found herself racked with an excruciating pain that caused her to drop the wand. It was so strong that she couldn't help crying out, lasting only several seconds but feeling as if it had been hours. Jennifer had experienced the spell before, many times, unfortunately, but never had it felt like that. It had been as if several wizards had cast it instead of one.

"Now, I think you're beginning to see. Dark magic has great power here, Jennifer, greater than many other places. You cannot survive any dark spells cast upon you for long. But I am not willing to give up such a prize without giving you one last chance. You cannot win against me any more than that foolish boy who went off to try and kill Voldemort. Down here, we are the masters. Either you join us or face permanent destruction." Jennifer reached in her cloak pocket and found herself holding something fairly round. Pulling it out, a bright light burst into the room and Jennifer was suddenly aware of Pettigrew standing above her. The heavy weight that had been on her mind had quickly left her, and she felt strangely free of the nagging voice that had been threatening to erupt inside her. Grabbing the wand she had dropped, Jennifer quickly turned it on him.

"_Pedecrucia!_" she called out, casting it at the dark wizard and scrambling out of the way as he too experienced a wave of pain, causing him to fall to the ground. Every time he tried to move, the pain would start again as the Reflex Curse kicked in.

"Jennifer! Foolish witch!" he croaked. "You have turned me away for the last time! Now, you will only face death!"

"That sounds to be the preferable choice," Jennifer agreed calmly. "But if you'll excuse me, I have a student to find," she said, rubbing the glowing gem in her hand. At that moment, she felt quite close to her ancestors, Janus… even Mallus, stepping in corridors they once tread. And yet, at the same time, she felt none of the darkness as before. Somehow, she was sure, the gem was helping shield the impulses that she had been getting. She stepped over Pettigrew's body and began to head down the corridor.

"Wait!" Pettigrew's voice shouted behind her, and Jennifer cautiously looked back to see him fumbling for something in his pocket. "You will not escape me that easily, Jennifer!" Jennifer lifted the gem up just in time to see a phial crash against the wall and the cavern began to fill with a dusty cloud. Jennifer stepped back out of the cloud's reach, but was filled with dread when she realized it was Howling powder. The Reflex Curse would not be able to keep down the werewolf rising out of it. In fact, many of her wand spells would be useless on him in this form, but she wasn't about to give up yet.

"C_laudere argentum mala!" _Jennifer intoned quickly, pulling a tiny silver lock out of her pocket and throwing it at the beast. The lock suddenly seemed to open up as it hit him on the nose, forming a chain around its jaw several times and locking it tight. Pettigrew couldn't even bear to touch it, his eyes burning red with anger, mouth frothing through the muzzle in fury. He charged forward at an alarming pace, and even as Jennifer was pulling out a wolf bane potion he lunged at her, his front claw slashing her left hand and knocking the gem to the ground. The room became dark again and Jennifer found herself fighting something nearly three times her size. She had barely had time to throw the phial in her hand before he ran his razor sharp claws deep across her abdomen.

She had felt no pain, only a warm rush, and from that she knew the wound was more serious than she would be able to sustain for long. But the potion she had thrown had also hit him, forcing Pettigrew to retreat away from it. Jennifer had bought herself a moment, but only a moment. Voices out of the darkness were raging in her head, and she tasted her own blood on her lips as she tried to brush her hair away with her hand. _You're not going to make it, _she heard herself thinking. _You haven't got a choice; it's either you or him now._

_ No, I can't do it,_ another part of her said, _I can't kill, I won't!_

_ You have to! Too many people are depending on you! _ The other voice said. _You have to do it! _She felt the claw rake against her again even as she was reached for the gem. It immediately lit up at her touch and another wave of strength went through her.

Enraged by the light, the werewolf grabbed her arm and smashed her hand against the wall so hard she heard the bones break, and she helplessly watched as both the gem and her Dragonheart Diamond hit the ground, the light dimming immediately afterwards. It was then that she realized there were some things she wasn't willing to give up, and to have them, she would need her life. Reaching in her cloak she found her dagger in her right hand, and with what little strength she had left, she pierced it through his heart.

* * *

Severus had suddenly drawn himself short of his pacing, his attention drawn to his hand. His face had become a pasty white, nearly the same shade that was now on his Dragonheart diamond. He shook his hand and looked at it again in total disbelief, a deep sweat on his brow as he noticed a faint crack in the center of the diamond.

"No… no, not here! Not now! Don't do this! You can't die now! JENNIFER!" Severus cried out as everyone turned to him in alarm in surprise. "I'll kill him for this, he's going to pay for this!" Severus snarled, launching himself at the entrance, but Sirius was a step faster than everyone else, blocking his way and wrestling him back as Dumbledore rushed over to help. Suddenly Severus Disapparated, leaving everyone looking around as if expecting to see him entering the Tomb.

"Minerva, go find him. Make sure he doesn't do anything foolish," Dumbledore snapped, before heading back to Anna's side, kneeling before her. But even though her form was resting peacefully, her spirit was not. And he was quite sure as long as she was with them that there was still hope.

For Anna had done what she had in the past and followed Harry, acting as a shield that protected him from the effects of the darkness. And down below, a fierce battle had been raging between Harry and Voldemort as Harry attempted to stop him from gaining any further power from the Tomb. It hadn't taken long for Harry to realize that Voldemort's powers were even stronger there, heightened by the dark presence surrounding them, and even with Anna's protection he was having trouble trying to combat it. Suddenly, Anna's presence had begun to waver and Harry felt part of his protection leave. His head fogged slightly even as Voldemort gathered a dark halo of mass between his hands and moved to strike again. Harry dove for cover behind the large stone sarcophagus that housed what was left of Salazar Slytherin. Voldemort, knowing better than to hit the sarcophagus with the spell, aimed instead at the pillars behind it, causing them to crumble and come crashing down on Harry. Harry dove a moment too late and felt one of the pillars land on his leg, pinning him down. He gritted his teeth, waiting for the rubble and dirt to stop falling on him from above the damaged pillars, but it didn't seem to be stopping. A cool laughter met his ears as Voldemort stood over his ancestor's grave.

"I knew that even with your mother's help, you would not survive down here. A spirit cannot stop physical pain. You are in pain, aren't you, Potter? I do hope so. You'll be feeling more of it soon," he smiled pointing the wand at him. But another figure had come to witness the battle, having crawled down the corridor from where the body of Pettigrew lay. And as weakened as she was, she hoped to have a little strength left to help.

"_Wingardium Leviosa,_" Jennifer rasped. The pillar lifted only barely, allowing Harry to free his leg as Voldemort turned to see who was behind him. Jennifer was no longer capable of protecting herself, but she thought perhaps she could distract Voldemort long enough to let Harry do what he needed to do. Voldemort squinted at the fallen form by the door, barely able to hold onto her wand.

"Professor Craw!" Harry called out in surprise and horror.

"So it seems I get to see two of my enemies die at once. The two that dared to live," Voldemort laughed. "Both reduced to bloody rats at my feet. I think I might send your heads to Dumbledore in the Owl Post. Wouldn't that be amusing? So much for false hope and false promises," he hissed.

"No, you're wrong! It's over, Voldemort. This time you die for good!" Harry shouted as Jennifer blearily looked up to try to see the figure behind the Tomb.

"You fool! The only one to die will be you!" Voldemort said leaping on the sarcophagus and casting a spell at the boy. _ "Avada Kedavra!"_

But suddenly an electric force seemed to rise up from the sarcophagus itself and the spell backfired; the intensified power of the dark spell turned full force upon the one who had unleashed it. Jennifer closed her eyes as a painfully bright light swept into the room and a terrible shriek worse than a banshee cry filled her ears. Another flash of light flicked across Jennifer's face and she opened her eyes to see Voldemort in flames, and as he raised his arm in one last vain attempt, the wand he had been holding suddenly fired at the ceiling and the statue of Salazar collapsed, falling on his burning remains.

As a strange silence fell with his passing, an internal silence that had little to do with what was truly happening around them. Jennifer closed her eyes again, feeling relaxed and at peace for the first time in hours. She was barely aware of the loud rumbling noise surrounding her, although the feeling of rocks constantly hitting her face was becoming a bit annoying.

"Professor Craw! Professor Craw, please hang on!" she heard a familiar voice say, feeling herself being dragged. "Don't worry! It's alright, he's dead, he's gone for good now, everything will be all right."

"Harry? Is that you?" Jennifer said, opening her eyes slightly. "Harry, I'm not going to make it. You had better get out of here before the entire hill collapses."

"I'm not leaving you. You certainly wouldn't leave me here, and I'm not leaving you here. Snape would never forgive me," he said, propping her up into a corner. "The ceiling's coming down any second, brace yourself!" he warned her. Taking out his wand he made a circle in the air, casting a shield spell. Dirt began to pile on top of it as the ground began to shake harder and harder. Harry leaned over Jennifer protectively as everything caved in, the shield miraculously managing to hold under the weight. Finally the ground settled, and Harry sat up, checking to see if Jennifer was still breathing.

"Professor Craw! Can you hear me?" Harry said. "Talk to me, please!"

"I'm here, Harry," Jennifer said, "although I can't seem to stay awake long. See if you can't reach in my robe pocket and take out a gem, it'll give you some light," she coughed, gasping for breath. "You know, I've had some close calls before but I think this one beats all," she said, almost fading out again. "Harry, maybe you better let me go. You'll have a better chance getting out if you don't have to worry about me."

"This is totally unlike you, Professor! What ever happened to your never say die philosophy and no room for martyrs speech?" Harry said, sounding slightly angry.

"This is different. It's me this time," she chuckled weakly. "At least call me Jennifer. I really don't want to die hearing you call me Professor, thank you. Besides, you passed my course, so you're not my student now."

"Fine, I'll call you Jennifer, but you're not going to die," he insisted. He felt in her robe pocket for the gem and felt something else come out with it. As the gem lit in his hand, he saw it was her engagement ring, badly cracked in the center. Glancing at her face a moment he put it back on her finger. "Here, you might need that soon. Don't forget, you're getting married in two weeks," he said, conjuring up some bandages.

"Poor Severus," Jennifer winced as he tried to get the bandages around her wounds. "I suppose I should have told him I loved him at the arch, but I didn't want to make a scene. He's sensitive about things like that."

"I'm sure he knows," Harry assured her. "Try to hang on. Don't forget, Severus went to get Dumbledore. If anyone can get us out of this now, it's going to be him," Harry said, privately wondering how long before the spell gave out.

* * *

The shaking came from all around, and then suddenly the earth seemed to erupt. Clouds of dust began to shoot out of the entrance of the Tomb before an entire side of the hill began to fall into itself, followed by the ground beyond it and even reaching the edge of town. At last it settled, and the small group of wizards who had gathered near the entrance stood back up and brushed off. Sirius, still sitting with Anna's head on his lap, looked up at Dumbledore with fear in his eyes, and Dumbledore went over to her thoughtfully.

"No one could have lived through that," Sirius whispered. It had been a soft whisper, but one that everyone had heard quite clearly. Ron held Hermione tightly as she sought his shoulder, and Rosmerta appeared to be saying a soft prayer to herself. But Dumbledore's eyes turned to the sky and noticed something that had escaped at everyone's attention…the storm that had been thundering over the hill had stopped, and through the dissipating clouds, Dumbledore could see a field of stars, shining through more brightly than they had for a long time. A flicker of fire wisped across those stars as Fawkes flew down, landing on his shoulder. Everyone looked up with surprise as Dumbledore pet his familiar with a smile.

"It would appear that Fawkes thinks that they're alive," Dumbledore said, glancing back down at Anna and Sirius.

"Both of them?" Sirius asked, inhaling sharply.

"Yes, but I know a way to find out for certain," Dumbledore said. He took out an ornate mirror over two hands in length out from inside his robe, and did something no one expected. He put his ear to the surface of the mirror.

* * *

"Here, Jennifer, try to take some more water. After all, you're the one that thought to pack some," Harry said, putting some to her lips. Jennifer reluctantly took a sip, instantly feeling nauseous.

"I don't think I can handle any more, Harry, thanks though," Jennifer said. "I didn't pack it anyhow, Severus did. He gave me the cloak."

"Remind me to thank him when we get out of here," Harry said.

"Harry," Jennifer said slowly, gathering the strength to open her eyes. "I don't think that shield spell is going to last much longer." Harry nodded slowly.

"I know," Harry said, wiping off her brow.

"I have a polyform snake potion in the inside of my cloak. I would like you to have it," Jennifer said.

"Oh, no. I'm not going to have this argument with you again. Besides, think of everything you have to live for! In fact, I think you should take it," Harry said.

"Harry, at this point I doubt it'd stay in my stomach long enough to work," Jennifer said shaking her head.

"Very well, then, we'll stay together," Harry said stubbornly. Suddenly he looked around in puzzlement. "Do you hear that?"

"Harry, I can barely hear you," Jennifer admitted, closing her eyes again. "Hear what?"

"It almost sounded like Dumbledore, calling our names."

"Oh, I thought that was my father," Jennifer said. "But I suppose not, if you hear it too."

"Yes I hear it too! Dumbledore, where are you?" Harry said with mixed panic and relief.

"Jennifer, get out your mirror and give it to Harry if you can," said Dumbledore's voice. Jennifer winced as she slowly reached in her robe pocket and took out her folded yellow mirror, rubbing it fondly before handing it over. Harry opened it, seeing not only his reflection but the hazy, ghostlike image of Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore! We're buried in the Tomb! We don't have much time left!" Harry said in surprise. "Jennifer…Professor Craw…she's dying."

"I know, Harry, please try to stay calm. I need you to do something for me, Harry. I want you, and Jennifer, if she's up to it, to cast a Patronus straight up from where you are. It must be as strong a Patronus as you can muster, Harry. Let me know just before you cast it."

"Yes, Professor. Jennifer? Jennifer wake up, I've talked to Dumbledore, he needs us to make a Patronus."

"What are we going to be invaded by Dementors? Tell him I'll pass this time around," Jennifer said weakly.

"Harry, put the mirror up to Jennifer's ear," Dumbledore said. Harry did as he was told.

"Now Jennifer, there are a lot of people up here that want to see you pull through this. Corey needs you, I need you, the whole school needs you, and Severus very desperately needs you. Harry is counting on you to pull through this, and I am counting on you too. Do you want Voldemort to have that last victory over us? Do you?" Jennifer shook her head. "Say no, of course not, Albus."

"No, of course not, Albus, sir," Jennifer said softly.

"Well, I suppose that will do. All right, Harry, whenever you're ready," Albus said. "Hang in there, Anna, we'll have them out soon," he added.

"Oh, is that who that is," Jennifer said, suddenly aware of the other presence that had been around Harry as well as herself. "I thought it was my mother."

"I know what you mean," Harry smiled, taking his wand in hand. He got out her wand, Severus' wand, and put in her hand, quietly enchanting the magic sync spell. "Let's do it, Jennifer."

With the last of their strength, they pointed their wands and cast the spell as a ray of light filled the tiny space and shot up through the dirt above. While on the surface, a spark of light pierced the darkness of a deer and a Unicorn over the line of the woods and close to town. Fawkes took off immediately to follow it, and Dumbledore rushed after, Rosmerta, Ron and Hermione close behind. Sirius gently picked Anna up and followed as well.

Below, Harry tried to shake Jennifer gently awake. Jennifer squinted as if the dull light of the gem was blindingly bright.

"Where am I?" she asked blearily.

"We're still in the Tomb, but don't worry, help is on the way," Harry promised her. "Any moment now."

"Thanks, Harry," Jennifer said, nodding slightly.

"For what?" Harry said.

"Being here," Jennifer smiled weakly. Suddenly they heard a noise from above, and Harry's heart sank, wondering if his shield was beginning to give at last. But then, just as he was ready to give in to his worst fears, the dirt and rock above them burst upwards, and the two of them watched in amazement as all around them the earth lifted as if gravity had no meaning and moved away to reveal a brilliant starry sky.

"Jennifer! Jennifer look! Over there, there's Dumbledore!" Harry stammered with amazement. For Dumbledore stood on the edge of the crater he had carved, and as the glowing light faded from around him, he and several others scrambled into the crater and the two found themselves surrounded by friends.

"We must get them both to the hospital wing at once," Dumbledore said, kneeling beside them, taking out a small phial and pouring it over the worst of Jennifer's wounds. "Rosmerta, help me here. Ron, Hermione, pop back to the school let Madame Pomfrey know that we have wounded, oh, and will someone go to Severus and tell him that everything's all right?"

"Can I tell him?" A shaky voice asked from behind Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled and looked around to see Anna standing again, leaning on Sirius.

"Very well, Anna. Although warn me next time you decide to take me to literally, please?" he asked, looking over the frame of his glasses.

"Good thing I did though, isn't it?" Anna asked smugly.

"And no one else can see how they could possibly be related," Dumbledore sighed, turning back to his patients.

* * *

A series of sounds stirred Jennifer from her sleep, and she awoke in darkness. She suddenly started to panic before she felt hands gently press her shoulder back down on the soft surface. Candles suddenly lit on the stands beside her bed, and Jennifer was aware of someone beside her. Relief and joy swept over her as she moved towards him, but Severus firmly and gently laid her back on her bed with her hands to her side.

"Poppy said you're not to move. You're not going to make me restrain you, are you?" Severus said quietly.

"Something woke me up," Jennifer said then noticed the other bed next to hers. But Harry wasn't being forced to lie down; he was sitting up, watching something out the window. He was trying very hard not to notice them, looking instead out at the sky as bright lights flickered across his face. "Harry, are you okay?" Harry turned to her with a smile.

"Much better now, Jennifer, er…Professor Craw I should say," Harry said, glancing at Severus.

"You can call me Jennifer and damn anyone, board, Dumbledore or otherwise who tries to tell you different," Jennifer said, trying to sit up again and being firmly put down again. "What is going on?"

"Dumbledore and some of the other professors are sending fireworks off the castle towers. There's a great view from here," Harry said with a smile. "We were watching them when you woke up."

"I want to see," Jennifer said, looking defiantly at Severus.

"Jennifer, it has barely been twenty four hours since you were pulled from that nightmare…"

"It's Jennifer's fireworks too, I wouldn't have been able to do it if she hadn't taken on Pettigrew," Harry stated. Jennifer got up, ignoring Severus protests, falling out of bed when she tried to stand.

"I tried to warn you, but as usual, you have to do things your way," Severus muttered before picking her up and carrying her over to Harry's bed. "There, are you happy now? Madame Pomfrey will be having my head on a platter if she catches us."

"Lock the door," Harry suggested, turning to look at them with a grin.

"Harry, your scar, it's gone," Jennifer said with surprise as she looked at him.

"First my forehead was popular for the scar, now it's popular because it's normal," Harry chuckled.

"Oh come on, Harry, you're a hero!" Jennifer said. "You won't be able to escape it now," she chuckled.

"Well, so are you," Harry said with a grin.

"Harry, I don't know what you told them but I will deny everything," Jennifer said.

"Now haven't we already had the conversation about fame not being everything?" Severus wanted to know, looking at both of them.

"No, but love is," Jennifer decided, leaning back into Severus as she looked out the window. Harry smiled, nodding to her privately, turning her attention to the sparkling snapdragon fireworks that lit up the sky.

Around the country, Muggles stepped out of their houses to see the night filled with fantastic fireworks as they had seldom seen before, lighting up the sky as if it were New Year's Eve. There was a strange festive spirit in the air, one that had long been quieted, and, Jennifer hoped, would seldom be quieted again.


	31. A Wedding at Hogwarts

Chapter Thirty-One

A Wedding at Hogwarts

It was a Saturday dinner at Hagrid's like there had not been in quite a while. Anna and Sirius, Ginny and Harry, and Ron and Hermione were all there, as well as Jennifer, the guest of honor sitting at one end, and Hagrid sitting at the other. The finals were all done and most of them marked, the trunks nearly packed, and the students would be going home on Monday in the newly renovated Hogwart's Express. And Jennifer was getting married tomorrow, the thought of which seemed almost unbelievable to her, the year had flown by much more quickly than she had expected. It seemed, from the conversation between the three that had graduated that day, that they were experiencing the same thing.

"To think this is our final dinner here together," Hermione sighed, "It's just not going to be the same after tonight, for any of us."

"Well, I'll still be here, for a whole another year," Ginny said, "Although it's definitely going to be lonely without you three."

"Actually, I am going to be here," Hermione said, "I suppose it's all right to tell you now since we're out of school. I've been hired on as the new librarian. I'm going to work here and study for my teacher's permit. And, Jennifer's asked me to take over as newspaper supervisor."

"I'm going to have enough duties next year without it," Jennifer agreed.

"So you are going to be here next year after all?" Ron asked Jennifer.

"Yes, I'll be the new Potions Master," Jennifer grinned.

"The new Potions Master?" Ginny said with surprise. "But won't the board object? I mean, we all heard what happened, from the paper…"

"Oh, they won't object, not after what she and Harry did. I'm surprised they haven't already shown up at the school on their hands and knees yet," Sirius chuckled. "And Ginny you know better to listen to that paper."

"That's all going to change now. I hear the Ministry was breathing down the paper's neck and they were forced to fire some reporters," Anna added. "And Vallid has a group lawsuit filed against the paper for slander. If they're going to survive, they're going to have to review their entire team."

"And hire some new people who know what they're doing and can keep a story straight," Ron said, "People like me, for example."

"Oh, you plan on applying, Ron?" Jennifer said with a grin.

"I've got one better. I got hired all ready. I start next week," he said, and everyone at the table congratulated him. "I wouldn't have done it without Hermione's help, she really encouraged me to do it."

"Well, it is something you have a natural knack for," Hermione agreed. Harry nodded and smiled at him then at Hermione, who smiled warmly back. "Are you still taking a year off?"

"Definitely," Harry said, "As if anyone would let me do any different," he added, looking at Sirius.

"Dumbledore encouraged his decision, and so do I," Sirius said. "After everything he's been through lately, he deserves some time to relax and see the world a bit before deciding on what he wants to do. And hopefully also give more time for the fame to cool down."

"If any of you want to find me, you'll have to ask Ginny or Sirius. They'll know where I'm at," Harry assured them. "I'll definitely be in touch."

"What about you, Anna?" Ginny asked.

Anna looked up, slightly surprised. She had been lost in her own thoughts, playing with a large rose-cut gem necklace as she sat by Sirius' side, suddenly aware everyone was looking at her. Jennifer hadn't recalled seeing the jewelry set before, but it didn't take Truth Seeking to figure out where it came from. Sirius smiled at Anna.

"Oh, I'll be here for some of it. I'm working with the Ministry now, helping with cross-cases with Muggles, and doing research for Vallid," Anna told them, "And also helping Sirius straighten out his profile…the business kind this time." Everyone chuckled a little at that. "I will still be at the cabin, though, part of the time at least. I still have a lot to learn about magic," she admitted.

"Well, at least I'll have you, Hermione and Professor Craw here then, and Hagrid, of course, although it won't be the same."

"Actually, Ginny, I'm afrai' I won't be comin' back next year either," Hagrid said sadly, and most of the people at the table looked up at him with surprise.

"What do you mean, not coming back?" Harry asked. "I can't imagine what Hogwarts would be like without you here."

"Wull, I guess I c'n let ya in on m' lil' secret, 'specially since Hermione and Jennifer already know. See, I got married last Christmas break," Hagrid explained.

"What? Married? And you didn't tell us? And nobody else told us?" Ron asked in surprise, looking at Hermione.

"Sorry, it was a faculty thing," Hermione shrugged at him. Ron glowered at her wondering if that would become a habit.

"Does that mean you, and Madame Maxime? You're going to Beauxbatons?" Harry said, smiling brightly.

"Yup, holdin' grounds there an' instructin' a bit. 'Course nobody's gonna know we're married, her school policy an' all tha', so I kept a low profile. That's why I've not been arounf on the weekends so much, I been busy straightnin' things down there," Hagrid admitted.

"Then, I propose a toast to Rubeus, our host for several years now, may he find only happiness in his new post, and never forget his friends, or status as a friend, at Hogwarts," Sirius said, tipping his glass.

"Hear hear, to Rubeus Hagrid," Jennifer agreed, as they all toasted to the big man, who looked almost as if he were going to cry.

"Lawd, I'm gonna miss ya all, tho.' Especially you, Harry. Now, you all come visit us sometime if yer in France now, hear?" Hagrid said, which they quickly agreed to.

There was a knock at the door, then, and they looked at each other curiously a moment, before several moved to get up at once. Hagrid beat them to it, peering out the window. "It's Professor Snape."

"Heavens, what's he doing here? I thought Dumbledore and some of the staff were keeping him occupied tonight?" Jennifer wondered. She suddenly felt something dumped over her head.

"Quick, put my cloak on, it's bad luck seeing him twenty four hours before the wedding you know," Harry said. Jennifer shrugged into the cloak, feeling a little silly over the fuss, but Hagrid waited patiently for her to completely disappear before he opened the door.

"Evenin' Professor! Wasn't expectin' to see you out here," Hagrid said after opening the door.

"Sorry to intrude," Severus said, glancing in quickly at those gathered there, "but I was wondering if I might talk to Harry alone for a moment?" Surprised but curious, Harry got up and went outside as the rest of those in the room looked around and shrugged. Taking off the hood, Jennifer's head appeared, caught in a knowing smile.

"Well, about time," she said, nodding approvingly. "Some people just have to wait to the last minute to do everything," she added, as everyone kept looking at her in bewilderment.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, and the newsroom was bustling with activity as Minerva put the finishing touches on Hermione's dress. Jennifer tapped her feet in mixed nervousness and impatience, barely paying attention to Anna and Ginny, who were both talking about previous weddings they'd been in. Every now and again, one person or another would come and peek in on them, Poppy bringing them drinks and Pomona checking on the bridesmaid flower wreaths, Rolanda coming in just to see how they were doing, none of them successfully keeping Jennifer's attention very long.

Suddenly Ron came in, and was met with such loud squeals of protest that Jennifer looked up in curiosity.

"Calm down all ready, will you? I came to get my camera, I left it in here yesterday," Ron explained, putting his arms up to attempt to defend himself against all the fingers pointing him towards the door. "I just _have_ to get some pictures of Snape, if the wedding wasn't already going to make news, I'd bet his appearance would."

"He finally decided to give in and put on his new robes, did he?" Minerva said, sounding pleased.

"And how, I hardly recognized him," Ron agreed, picking up his camera. "Sorry to interrupt…er…whatever girls do before this sort of thing," he said, winking at Hermione on his way out the door.

"Get copies!" Minerva shouted after him. "Turn around, Hermione and let me look." Another knock met the door and in came Audacious Belle wearing black dress robes and large ornate pin of the Craw family crest.

"There you are, Jen-girl, am I late?" Audi asked. "These old bones don't move the way they used to."

"No, not at all, Audi, thanks for coming," Jennifer smiled at her.

"And what was I to do? Your father has such a way with words, I can never turn him down when he asks a favor, and really, I must admit it's a very, very high honor to be able to give you away today," the old witch said, hugging Jennifer warmly. "I say, has anyone mentioned that Severus looks positively human today? I think he's even got a bit of color in his cheeks. You ought to send some spies to go take a look for you," she cackled.

"I want to take a look!" Jennifer protested.

"Oh, no, you're staying here," Minerva told her firmly. "And so are the rest of you. I'm sure you're not missing anything you won't see later."

Suddenly someone burst through the door without bothering to knock, and another squealing protest went up as Corey walked into the room, ignoring the fingers pointing him the other direction.

"I have no where else to go! Snape kicked me out!" Corey explained. "Wow, everyone in here looks positively smashing, especially you, Professor Craw, you're going to be breaking hearts today in that dress."

"Corey, what are you doing in here? You're supposed to be helping Snape, and what do you mean he kicked you out?" Jennifer asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"I don't know, he got mad at me is all," Corey shrugged. "I think he's all wound up and nervous, really, but you should really see him. Talk about smashing, I think he's going to turn a few heads of his friends, that's for sure." Another knock came, and in walked Harry, as Minerva threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Harry, as best man you are definitely NOT allowed to be in here. Now get out and take that with you," Minerva said impatiently, nodding to Corey.

"Actually, that's why I came in the first place. Dumbledore sent me to find him. He had a feeling he'd wander in here after what he said to Snape," Harry said. "Let's go Corey."

"Just what did you say to him? Corey?" Jennifer said, with an unmistakable warning tone in her voice.

"All I did was ask him his age," Corey shrugged, "and then your age, and then I figured out that if my soul mate is the same difference for me, she won't be born until next year! Then, he threw me out."

"Corey Willowby!"

"What? It's the truth. I thought you liked the truth," Corey protested.

"The moment you get back to the Broom Closet from your trip with Sirius and Harry, you and I are going to have a long talk about subtlety," Jennifer said, trying to ignore the growing chuckle that was erupting in the room. "Great stars, what have I gotten myself into!" Jennifer exclaimed. "You sure you two will be able to handle him for two weeks, Harry?"

"Don't worry about it, Jennifer, you two just have fun," Harry reassured her, putting his hands on Corey's shoulders. "I'd better get him back, we should be starting soon. I can't wait to see your face when you see Severus, he looks positively incredible," he added.

"That's it, I'm going to go peek at my brother," Anna said, heading towards the door behind Harry.

"Anna!" Minerva protested.

"They've sent enough spies over here, time I do some spying for our side," Anna said.

"Well hurry!" Minerva said, shaking her head. "All right, Jennifer, let's fasten your train on." Audi helped Minerva get it straight, and Minerva was going over with them where to stand when Anna came back in. Jennifer looked at her expectantly as Hermione and Ginny coaxed her for an opinion. Trying to keep from laughing, Anna grinned and gave them a "thumbs up" before taking her place in line behind Jennifer.

"Some spy you are," Jennifer complained, trying to get a look over at her. There was another knock and Rolanda peeked in, giving them a warm smile.

"The boys are in position, you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Jennifer breathed, glancing down at her newly restored diamond. It was quite grey at the moment, and for some reason that made her relax, knowing he was as petrified as she was. She took up her bouquet of alchemist's roses, hands shaking noticeably when Audi firmly took her arm, patting it gently while smiling at Jennifer mischievously. "Just pinch me if I start to faint, will you?" Jennifer asked her.

"Lawd, Jen-girl, you've faced death a dozen times over, you can handle one little wedding, can't you?" Audi clucked teasingly as they headed out the door.

Streams of light poured into the Great Hall through open windows, while owls and other flying beasts watched from the sills. A subtle melody strummed through the air that seemed unfamiliar to Jennifer but was unlikely she would ever forget again as she entered the hall, Ginny and Minerva in front of her, Hermione and Anna with the train, and Audi lightly pinching her arm at her side. She had never noticed just how big the Great Hall was, and was keenly aware that it was packed now, with rows of seats of students, parents, and other guests, and all with their eyes on her. Perhaps she wouldn't have made it up the aisle at all had she not finally laid eyes on Severus.

His black hair was tied back out of his face with a thin dark green ribbon, matching the floor-length velvet green cape that draped over his shoulders. His flowing black dress robes were heavily embroidered on the front with intricate designs in gold thread. He was looking at her with such open amazement it nearly startled her, only then she realized she was probably looking at him the same way. Smiling sheepishly at herself for that, she realized almost at an afterthought that she had arrived at steps to the dais, and Audi was placing her hand in his. Behind Severus, Harry smiled at her in a way that had somehow always put her at ease, before she was aware of someone clearing his throat, and found herself looking up into Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes, watching her with amusement. She blushed slightly and glanced up quickly at Severus, blinking as she noticed a slight pink in his cheeks as well.

Dumbledore glanced over at the audience with a smile.

"It is a rare event, when a person is able to truly understand their deepest desires, and an even rarer event, when one is willing to make the sacrifices and risks necessary, without hesitation or regret, to achieve it. That is something I believe is occurring here today, with the bonding of this couple in front of me. To be destined for something is one thing. But to make it happen," he said, glancing momentarily at Harry, then back at Jennifer and Severus, "it needs a conscious choice, and the will to prevail.

"Now, with that said, I am not much for long speeches at weddings, especially when those words can not compete with the love these two share, and so evident in their eyes. I also do not do this often, so I will ask you to bear with me, while I improvise a bit," he said, turning to Jennifer with a mischievous smile.

"Jennifer Corsiva Craw, daughter of Alice and Thomas Craw. Will you take Severus Snape to be your husband from this day forward, in sickness and health, in good and bad temperament; will you promise to be understanding and kind, listen to his advice and give it consideration before rejecting it, and graciously accept his help when offered and needed?" Jennifer blushed bright red.

"I will," she said at last, wondering if it had been a good idea to let Dumbledore do this after all.

"Severus Selezin' Snape, son of Sabina and Octavius Snape. Will you take Jennifer Craw to be your wife from this day forward, in sickness and health, in good and bad temperament; will you promise to be understanding and kind, to not turn your head when she asks a question," Dumbledore smiled at him knowingly, "to be honest with your emotions as well as to her, and to trust and support her in everything she does?"

"I will," he said, gazing steadily at her.

Dumbledore gestured to Corey, and the grinning boy stepped forward with the rings, and the Headmaster reverently took them in hand, offering it to them.

"The rings are an outward symbol of your promises and love, and by exchanging them you seal those promises to each other. Now, Jennifer, place the ring on his finger, and say, 'By the power of this ring, my heart, and my soul, I pledge my life to thee.'"

"By the power of this ring, my heart, and my soul, I pledge my life to thee," Jennifer promised, putting the ring on his finger. Dumbledore nodded to Severus.

"By the power of this ring, my heart, and my soul, I pledge my life to thee," Severus said, shakily doing the same before clasping her hand tightly.

"Then, by the powers invested in me, and in the presence of God and the servants of the Light, I now pronounce you Wizard and Wife. Severus, you may now kiss your bride, yes in front of everybody," Dumbledore added jokingly.

"I don't mind, not this time," Severus said, turning to Jennifer, who was still blushing slightly, and enthusiastically locked her in a passionate kiss. The doves and ravens on the bottom of Jennifer's dress suddenly came to life, fluttering quickly up and out the window in a beautiful black and white fury, while the rings suddenly became bright as the bond was made, the glow spreading around them as the audience broke in a roaring cheer and applause. But Jennifer and Severus were oblivious to it, and even Dumbledore, clearing his throat several times, didn't seem to get their attention.

"I should have brought a stop watch," Corey quipped.

"Corey!" Harry said, jabbing him in the arm.

"Now, now, this is the only time they'll be allowed to kiss in public in the school, we should give them some leniency," Minerva said, trying to keep from chuckling.

"Boy that's going to make for a long photo," Ron decided, putting his camera down.

"Goodness, they are still at it! Anyone remember the record?" Arthur chuckled.

Suddenly realizing there were quite a number of people around them including the Minister of Magic, Jennifer suddenly broke off the kiss and looked around, earning another round of applause.

"Maybe if we ignore them long enough they'll go away," Severus suggested, gazing at her.

"Severus!" Jennifer said, gently nudging him away, but it was obvious he was not about to let her go too far as they turned to greet their guests. Most of the chairs were cleared and others rearranged as the floor opened for dancing and refreshments and the two of them were caught up in the festivities and meeting folks, and being totally overwhelmed, neither being used to the attention. Ron and Justin took turns bothering for pictures, and they were both wondering when best to make for a hasty retreat.

"So when are you going to throw the bouquet, Jennifer?" Harry asked when caught up with her again, discreetly jerking his head to the side to Ginny and grinning mischievously.

"Oh, how about now?" Jennifer said, smiling at Severus while going up to the dais. "If I can remember the spell," she added.

"Well I certainly don't know it," Severus said following closely behind.

"All right, all right, here goes. _Faithful flowers of the bride, now it's time to leave my side, find out where you'll next reside!_" Jennifer intoned and threw it. Several of the guests looked up in excitement as it spun in the air, and suddenly shot over to its victim, knocking her in the back of the head before she flung her arms up and landed in her hands. Anna looked at it with apparent confusion. Sirius, who was dancing with her a moment before, seemed positively delighted. The room broke out in applause, and Jennifer grinned apologetically, looking up at Severus' stony face.

"I knew everything was going too perfect," he mumbled. But Jennifer just turned and kissed him again, quickly regaining his attention. "Can we go yet?"

"Are you still here?" an amused voice asked behind them, and they turned to see Dumbledore and Harry standing nearby talking.

"Not long, if I have anything to say about it," Severus said, "and come to think of it, I do have say so, I have the port key."

"Oh, but where's Corey? We should talk to him before we go," Jennifer said.

"I'll go find him, be right back," Harry said, heading into the crowd.

"I hope you both have a wonderful summer," Dumbledore smiled at them, "and don't feel you need to drop by. If anything comes up I'm sure we'll manage, you both just take it easy. You both deserve the break."

"We'll be back second week of August, as always," Severus assured him. "I'm quite sure, even with Voldemort gone, there will be a lot of clean up to do."

"That is for certain, Severus. But try not to worry. Goodness, after everything this school has gone through this year, I expect it could last through just about anything anyone has to throw at us. Today is a new day for all of us, and the beginning of new chapter in the lives of magic dwellers and Muggles alike," Dumbledore smiled.

"I think I'm going to like this chapter better than the last one," Jennifer chuckled to herself.

"Let's just turn the page now, shall we?" Severus asked Jennifer impatiently, putting the port key in her hand.

End of Book 3

_A/N And that's it! Thanks for reading series one, and I hope you enjoyed them! In the second series, the Sentinel series, you will notice less of a focus on Jennifer herself as she now has to share the stage (and knowing her quite reluctantly) with other colorful characters. The series (and the one following) actually are more about Severus than Jennifer, but for consistency, I kept the name the same. The first book of four in that series is _Jennifer Craw and the Cloak of Icarus _and has all sorts of legends inundated in it, as well as gets more in depth about Anna and Severus' past, and some of Jennifer's as well. So, I hope you look it up, but either way, thanks for reading, and keep reviewing! JCWriter._


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